Overboard!
by aimdiscord
Summary: After falling overboard, Kagome suffers from amnesia. Sesshoumaru takes advantage of the situation to acquire a personal slave and a mother for Rin. A remake of the movie Overboard, done Inuyashastyle. [SessKag, AU] [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' with Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: I just watched the movie. I couldn't help but imagine it was Kagome, instead of sweet lil' Goldie Hawn in that terrible situation.

On with the story…

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 1:**

Sesshoumaru leaned back and sighed. It had been another endless day at the office. He wondered if he failed to show up one day, whether his Father would notice and appreciate all the work he did, or whether the old man would simply be glad his son was taking time off. Assuredly, if he slacked off like his accursed half-brother Inuyasha, then his Father would say something.

The boy was in college now, but he barely worked any harder than in high school – which was to say, not much at all. Everything was about partying, drinking, girls, or bar-fights to him. Sesshoumaru knew his funding would have been pulled, his inheritance denied, and quite likely he would have been disowned, had he pulled the stunts his step-brother currently did. Sneaking into a sorority house, after hours, and calling his hated step-brother to bail him out of prison? Really! It was shameful. Sesshoumaru had been sorely tempted to leave the boy to his own devices, that time.

Somehow though, he always dredged up the resources and the willpower to assist his step-brother, whenever the boy landed in hot water. It was not from pity. No, Sesshoumaru was merely protecting their family name, thereby assuring his own success. If he felt anything toward his half-brother at all, it was not _pity_ – it was carefully guarded, deeply denied _jealousy_.

Yes, although he hated to admit it even to himself, he was jealous of his half-brother. Inuyasha had multiple girlfriends and many companions; he led an easy-going life. Father doted on the boy and gave Inuyasha anything he requested, never questioning whether the college student deserved it or not. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, had made a single, small mistake, and Father had refused to look his way again.

Of course, just one small mistake was all it took to get a girl pregnant.

Kagura. He had been introduced to her at a company function. Wearing a traditional kimono, yet simultaneously breaking the rules in modern high heels and stylish-looking earrings, she had grabbed his attention immediately. Something in her eyes had reminded Sesshoumaru of himself – she seemed defiant but resigned, angry and sad all at once. He wondered if she felt trapped too.

Back then, he had been a college student, as Inuyasha was now. Even so, he had interned at his Father's company, working to earn a place in society. Between his job and his education, he had been overworked, too stressed to think clearly, too eager to please.

And despite his good looks, he had never had a girlfriend. Somehow, he had never found the time – there was always something else that needed doing, errands, homework, after-school activities, earning money… It wasn't that he was shy – he was just… bad with words around women. Was it any wonder that he had fallen for her?

Kagura was from a high-standing family; she knew how to be deferential when the need arose, but otherwise she had a fiery disposition. Sultry and scintillating at the same time, she had laid on the charm, and Sesshoumaru had been extremely attracted to her. When his Father had approved of the match, he had followed her lead, rather like a lost puppy.

But although his Father approved of Kagura, he did _not_ approve of scandal. Sure, Touga had his share of extra-marital affairs; his current wife was a testament to this fact. How else would Inuyasha have come into existence, after all? Touga had cheated on his wife and family, impregnating his mistress and marrying her only after his first wife died, ensuring that no money was lost during a messy divorce. Still, his Father did not want to see his sons repeat the same mistakes. So, when Kagura got pregnant, his Father had immediately flown into a fury.

The hypocrite. Secretly, Sesshoumaru thought his behavior was not nearly as reprehensible as his father's had been. At least he hadn't cheated on anyone when he lay with Kagura. At least he had not drawn out his affairs for years on end, hurting his family when the truth came to light.

Besides, Kagura had said she loved him… Perhaps he was overly sensitive on the subject, but when he heard these words, it had lightened a weight on his shoulders. His parents had never had time for such words. His mother had cared more about clothes and riches, while his father had been more concerned about propriety and property. For years, he had sought his father's approval and never measured up. Even now, it twisted a knife inside him to watch his Father freely slather affection onto his half-brother and step-mother Izayoi, knowing the man had been an emotional miser toward his first family.

Needless to say, things had come to a head between Sesshoumaru and his Father when Kagura conceived. Furious that his eldest had disobeyed him, endangered their reputation, and ruined a poor girl's honor, Touga had demanded either an immediate marriage or an abortion. A shot-gun wedding was not an option, however, once Kagura revealed her secret – she was already engaged! Her husband-to-be was named Naraku, and the marriage had been arranged long years ago.

Swearing that she loved Sesshoumaru and not her fiancé, Kagura had begged for his forgiveness to no avail. Dishonesty and cowardice were the two things Sesshoumaru despised most, and she had displayed them both in abundance that day. Acquiescing to his Father's demands because she could not rightfully marry Sesshoumaru, Kagura had agreed to an abortion.

It had been the worst day of his life, and not because of any pro-choice, pro-life arguments. Instead, he had been appalled – at Kagura for being so eager to get into bed, and so hopeful to be rescued from a situation of her making – at his father, for treating his sons unequally and unfairly and applying a double standard where Sesshoumaru was concerned. Heaven only knew, Touga and Inuyasha both had their share of affairs, while he worked hard and played it straight. Then, making things worse, his father had overreacted to his one tiny error, trying to pretend it had never happened.

Why should his Father be allowed such mistakes, while he had to be perfect? An ugly question had reared its head in his mind; Sesshoumaru had wondered – if it had been inconvenient to Touga, would his Father have allowed his eldest son to be born? The old man had been so excited by Inuyasha's birth… Even though the birth of his bastard son meant he had been separated from his wife, Touga hadn't cared. But what if Touga had not "loved" his mistress, Izayoi, or planned to marry her once his first wife died? What if he had seen her pregnancy as a disadvantageous bother? It certainly seemed like he viewed Sesshoumaru this way, most days. What if… he was really nothing more than a burden to his Father?

That night he had dreamt of chains surrounding him, wrapping around his soul, binding him tightly until he could neither move nor breathe. Alive but dead, in his dream he had waited for the denizens of the underworld to come and carry him away from this place. Then, a bright light had overwhelmed him, and he had seen a little girl with a bright smile and messy hair, laughing before him on a bright sunny day. Waking up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding, he had felt terrified for no reason at all.

He had called Kagura the same night and convinced her to keep the baby. Later, his Father had argued against it, but Sesshoumaru had insisted. And once again, he could not quite place a finger on why – he didn't have strong feelings about abortion, he merely could not ignore the warning in his dream and his fears of being unloved by his parents. Even if his Father had never loved him, he resolved he would do better for his child.

Meanwhile, Touga and Kagura worked out a deal in private. In return for a great sum of money, she agreed to lay no claim to the child. In the end, Sesshoumaru had a daughter, just like he had dreamed. His Father had stalked out of the hospital the moment Rin was born, stating he hoped the experience finally taught his son 'responsibility.'

Holding his newborn daughter though, Sesshoumaru had realized for the first time that he could ignore his Father's jibes. He understood responsibility; he would never have demanded to keep the baby otherwise. Little Rin was not a pet dog! Besides, he had spent the better part of his life proving he was responsible. If his Father could not see it, then obviously his actions made no difference. Who cared what the old man thought? After feeling his daughter's tiny fist grip his forefinger, there had been no room in his heart to worry about other things anymore.

Devoting himself to her health and safety, he had hired nurses to care for Rin during the day, while he worked incessantly throughout college and graduate school to keep his position in his Father's company secure. Money was never a problem. First, he put aside enough to move into a spacious house in the suburbs. Later, he hoped to save enough money to start up his own company and escape his Father's control entirely. And maybe someday, he daydreamed, he would surpass his Father, buying out Touga's private corporation.

Long story short, all this made the situation with Inuyasha severely bothersome! True, he wasn't trying to 'prove' himself to Father anymore. It was impossible to please the man. Still, the injustice of it all prickled at his spine. He was hyper-conscious of the way Touga treated his second son, and he could not help forming unfavorable comparisons to his own childhood.

Furthermore, he wanted to ensure his stupid brother did not run their company into the ground, ruining his dreams of going independent someday. In the spirit of fairness, Touga had offered his half-brother an internship with the company, the same opportunity that Sesshoumaru had received at that age. Yet Inuyasha did not take work seriously like his elder brother. Instead of working, or even sitting behind his desk, the boy was always up and about, frittering his time away and flirting with girls. All the pretty secretaries giggled when he walked past, while all the older ones frowned. Worst of all, Inuyasha would often bring his 'girlfriend' to the office to impress her.

Watching his half-brother and Kikyou interact through his office window, Sesshoumaru glared in disgust. The woman was gorgeous – he would admit that much. But she was cold and uncaring too. Perhaps Inuyasha was too lack-witted to notice, or perhaps he had so many girlfriends that he did not mind, but Sesshoumaru found himself hating the girl for her every move. The way she brushed against Inuyasha's side, only to ignore him when he asked her a question. The way she flicked her hair. The way she chewed gum. The way she stared, soullessly impassive and uncaring at her so-called 'love.'

Obviously, the girl did not care for his half-brother. Kikyou barely even spoke to him. She was standoffish and downright disturbing. Clearly, the girl was just another gold-digging bitch with a heart made of clay, and if his half-brother had half a brain, then he would run for the hills. Luckily, Inuyasha was resilient and uncaring himself, so Sesshoumaru felt no compunction to warn him about such women.

Today, as the office shut itself down for the evening, Kikyou was staring through the window at the street far below, carelessly putting fingerprints on the glass. Snapping his briefcase shut, Sesshoumaru sneered at his door and tried not to let his agitation show. She was so exasperating! His restraint dissolved completely when the woman turned around and smirked at him, in what she doubtless thought was an enticing manner.

"Have you nothing better to do with your days then convert oxygen into carbon-dioxide while sullying a perfectly good place of business with your presence and distracting the workers in the midst of their performance reviews?" He couldn't help himself. The comment just slipped out. The woman's eyes grew wide, and she took a step back, before the window prevented her from retreating further. Noiselessly, she shook her head.

With a snort, Sesshoumaru turned away, flipping a yellow manila folder onto an empty desk. "Give this to Inuyasha. It's his performance review for the month. Tell him he urgently needs to learn how to add."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' with Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: If anyone out there is worried for my other stories, fear not! I shall update someday. This is a short little thing that I need to accomplish first.

On with the story…

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 2:**

Inuyasha growled in displeasure, sending his companions skittering away – all except Kikyou, Miroku and Sango. They were used to his ways. Eyeing him suspiciously, Miroku asked gently, "Is something wrong, my friend?"

"Of course, there is something wrong!" Inuyasha shouted back, unhappily venting his frustrations on the two closest to him. "Every day I gotta go to this stupid office and work my ass off, and EVERY DAY that jerk makes me look like a fool for no reason! He even insulted Kikyou today! Why, I have half a mind to…"

Sango scooted her body closer to Miroku's side, figuring her dark haired friend was paying too much attention to Inuyasha at the moment to heed her presence. She was both right and wrong. Miroku definitely noticed her warmth nearby, and his hands itched to wrap themselves around her, but he did, in fact, restrain himself because Inuyasha would not have taken kindly to be ignored. He filed away the fact that Sango wanted to be near him, for future reference. "Perhaps you might explain to whom you are referring?" asked the violet-eyed male, patiently.

"Sesshoumaru, of course!" barked Inuyasha, before calming slightly. "He's always trying to make me look bad in front of Dad. It pisses me off – I don't even know why he hates me so much. First, he helps me with my very real problems at school, then he turns around an attacks my reputation at home for absolutely no reason, just to make me look like an idiot."

Sango chuckled at the way her friend referred to his hijinks at a sorority house, and later with the police, as 'very real problems.' He had such a gift for understatement and foolhardy bravado.

"Maybe," conjectured Miroku, with monk-like composure, "He's jealous?" It was a reasonable hypothesis. After all, Sesshoumaru had been the only son in a rich family for a long time. When Inuyasha's father had finally married his mother, bringing Inuyasha fully into the family, it had doubtless been a shock to the spoiled elder son. Such conflict between Inuaysha and his brother seemed quite normal to Miroku – just typical sibling rivalry and begrudging acceptance of a new family member. Inuyasha's arrogant brother was an adult now, but he had been a teenager when their family dynamics changed; it would naturally take a few years to adjust.

Inuyasha obviously disagreed with his friend's ideas. Sputtering a protest, he quickly replied, "No way! The bastard has everything that anyone could ever want! He has a fancy house, he's inheriting a company… he's owns five cars for chrissakes! What is there to be jealous of?"

Kikyou leaned forward and sipped her drink, nodding her agreement to their friendly words. "Yes, his anger was completely unwarranted. All I did was stand there."

"Well then," Miroku winked at his light-haired friend. "Perhaps the jealous one is _you_, Inuyasha."

"WHhaaaaaaaaaaaat?" howled the youth, sending his friends into uproarious laughter.

It was the howling which finally drew Kagome away from her studies. Putting her books away, she meandered toward the table full of her friends, pondering her options. She enjoyed spending time with these four, but she could not help wishing she had a boyfriend too. Why didn't Inuyasha like her again? "Hey guys," she waved, reaching the table. "What's going on?"

"Inuyasha can't add and his balance sheets came out wrong, so his company performance review was dreadful," Sango rapidly filled her in on recent events. Inuyasha merely scowled in her general direction, his brow furrowing deeply with displeasure.

The diner was filling up with students now, and Kagome had to huddle closely to her cousin Kikyou's side, to keep from being pushed and shoved as others walked behind her chair. Wrapping an arm around her side, her cousin dragged her toward the table and allowed her to slide into the booth beside the rest of them. Then, adding another statement before Inuyasha could explode in anger again, Kikyou mentioned her own experience with the vice-president of the company.

"From what I hear of his brother," Kagome rolled her azure blue eyes in reply as her cousin finished, "that is not at all unusual."

"Well, it was still rude," commented Kikyou. Around friends, the normally reserved and taciturn woman rapidly became more friendly and outgoing. Around her cousin though, Kikyou became positively vibrant.

The two girls looked quite similar, and they had grown up together as well, so Kagome tended to view Kikyou like a sister, and vice versa. The only physical difference between them was in their eyes – Kikyou's eyes were a rich, chocolate brown while Kagome's were a beautiful, clear blue. Aside from that, they styled their hair differently and wore very distinct clothing, trying to emphasize their distinct personalities with bits of personal fashion, to triumph over their physical similarities. The overall effect was striking, and while the two girls were no longer mistaken for twins as when they were younger, everyone still knew the girls were related.

Meeting her cousin's eyes, Kagome grinned and agreed. Then, as suddenly as the conversation had begun, it was dropped in favor of more pressing matters. Sango, the tallest woman in the group, pushed a flyer over to Kagome. A huge, white ship sailed across serene blue waters on the front of the brochure.

"So, Kagome! Have you thought more about joining our class trip?" her friend peppered her with questions, "The school is subsidizing it, so students can get super-cheap tickets! You don't want to be alone that week do you? Finals will be over, and summer jobs won't have begun yet, so you should come!"

Laughing at her friend's enthusiasm, Kagome shook her head and gave her usual excuse for bowing out of the cruise. This was hardly the first time Sango had approached her on the subject. "I have to work at our family shrine this summer. It's not the sort of job you apply for whenever you are ready to begin working – it is the kind of job that begins as soon as you can get there!"

Dismissing her concerns, Kikyou waved one hand in the air. "Why don't you get Souta to do it?" she asked. "Your little brother never does anything but play video games all summer anyway. His brain will melt. Do him a favor and ask him to care for the shrine for one week."

Kagome sighed and smiled weakly. Mother worked, and grandfather was too old to tend to the shrine, but her cousin was right; Souta would be more than capable of sweeping the shrine steps and greeting visitors for a week, while she went on a trip. Yet although working at the shrine was her most often cited excuse, it was not her real reason for wanting to avoid the cruise. In truth, Kagome feared that boat-trips were only for couples. Once again, her lack of a boyfriend had come back to bite her in the butt, hindering her in life.

Why couldn't Inuyasha have liked her instead of Kikyou, again? They looked quite similar, after all. He had simply met her cousin first. Often, Kagome contemplated how things would have been different, if she had been a few years older and gone to college sooner…

Lost in her own little world, Kagome Higurashi failed to see the gleam in her cousin's eye. Squeezing Sango's hand under the table, a pact was silently made between friends. Once and for all, Kikyou had determined that her little cousin was going to have a good time. Summer break was meant for recreation and enjoyment, not work!

And that was how Kagome found herself standing against the railing of a gigantic cruiseship, staring out at the blue waters of the East China Sea with her friends, as they traveled southwest for a week of rest and relaxation. Her cousin had somehow bribed, intimidated, or otherwise forced her brother Souta into indentured servitude at the Higurashi shrine for an extra week, while Kagome took a vacation after her finals ended. Although she had been dubious at first, and she had felt slightly guilty at making her brother do all the work, she was starting to enjoy her trip.

They were heading toward Shanghai, where the ship would port for a few days, allowing new passengers to board and the Japanese tourists could explore to their hearts content. Then the tour group would return to the boat, and the cruiseship would head toward the Pacific Ocean for a few days, finally returning to Japan after a week. Then, the process would repeat again. Apparently, it was a very lucrative business, especially in the summer months.

Feeling the cool breeze lift her hair, Kagome let it restore her spirits after a tough semester. She was trying to become a journalist, but some days she did not think she had the writing skills or the gumption to muscle her way into this already over-crowded field. But out here, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, she could pretend she had no worries.

Her earlier fears had proven only partially true. Cruises really _were_ for couples, but her friends were kind enough to include her in their activities anyway. Not that there was much to do onboard, aside from eat, sleep, play cards, or attempt to beat little old ladies at shuffleboard. This ship was a smaller version of the company line, with less fancy bells and whistles. There was no swimming pool or ballroom. Still, the overall package had been very cheap, with an additional discount tacked on because she was a student.

She had bought a small digital camera for the trip, even putting it in a waterproof wrap to keep out the humidity and the rain, and Sango had taken nearly a hundred pictures of her already, laughing about the way Kagome treated her brand-new camera like a precious baby. Really though, her excitement was not unreasonable. One, she had never bought a new camera before, and two, she had never been on a trip like this! Until now, she had always traveled within Japan, if at all. Having a chance to tour Shanghai thrilled her to pieces.

Meanwhile, she tried to ignore the way Inuyasha and Kikyou doted on each other, focusing her attention on more important things, like … how many shrimp she could fit on one plate without dropping it. Or take now for instance – she was pretending to be an albatross in favor of watching her friends make out on a deck-chair. Arms extended perpendicularly, Kagome leaned into the breeze, allowing the railing to support her weight. Strangely enough, it did not bother her when Miroku and Sango flirted. It was amusing to watch the violet-eyed man attempt to impress his athletic sweetheart with his outrageous stories. But being near her cousin and the platinum blond hunk she had a serious crush on while they admired one another? That was just depressing.

Why didn't Inuyasha like her again?

Fingering her digital camera, she put it back in its tight, waterproof carrying case, and slowly trudged below the deck, resolutely deciding to ignore the matter for the rest of the week. She absolutely could _not_ remain hung up on this issue! He had never even thought about dating her – he had met Kikyou first. Plus, her cousin was as dear to her as a sister; family members did not betray each other.

Knowing that her thoughts were both inappropriate and unwelcome, Kagome had tried her best to forget them, but spending lots of free time around her cousin (and Inuyasha by extension) had made this quite difficult. At the moment, the best she could do was put her thoughts and desires aside for short spurts and stretches, while she focused on other matters. Taking things one day at a time, she had chipped away at her degree, forcing herself to concentrate on other issues, until abruptly an entire year had passed.

And then, just before finals, she had had a terrible revelation. She had realized her feelings for Inuyasha were not leaving, no matter how much she willed them to disappear. Perturbed, she had tried avoiding the couple, but this tactic had failed miserably. Kagome was a 'people' person and family time was precious to her. Depriving herself of joy had seemed a terrible waste of energy and time, especially since it did not solve the underlying cause of her problem.

All of which left her right back where she had started. A ridiculous crush was preventing her from enjoying life or finding a boyfriend of her own, and it was spoiling her family relationships. Surely, her cousin Kikyou had noticed the distance growing between them by now. Or was it only in her head? Maybe no one really noticed her absences from their table in the diner, or the way she would fall silent during conversations. In the end, perhaps the others made up for her lack.

With a sigh, Kagome flopped down on her bunk and fell asleep, one arm thrown over her eyes to block out the sunlight.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 3:**

Sesshoumaru checked his watch for the fourteenth time that minute. Where was his car? The driver was supposed to pick him up at the airport, at exactly thirteen o'clock. It was now fifteen minutes past the hour. Someone would be fired for this, he vowed silently.

Then, he received the fateful cell-phone call from his Father. As usual, the old man was asking him to do extra work, at the last minute, without even allowing him to prepare in advance. He would have to stay in Shanghai for a few extra days, to check on their factory and the local managers. Puzzling, how such last minute things always came up when Sesshoumaru was overseas – it was almost as though Touga was encouraging him to take a few days off work. Certainly the factory was doing fine…

And as usual, such interference was not appreciated. Sesshoumaru hated being the last to know about anything. If his Father wanted him to tour a factory, in addition to attending a semi-annual business conference, then he should have said so earlier. If his Father wanted him to take an impromptu vacation, then the manipulative old man should have ordered him to do so directly. What was so hard about being up-front in these matters?

With an impatient gesture, Sesshoumaru marched back in to the hotel lobby. What should he do with the rest of the afternoon, after unpacking his suitcase a second time? He might call Rin…

* * *

Waking up with a start, Kagome jerked her eyes open in disbelief. She could hear whispering in the dark cabin, and the voices clearly belonged to Inuyasha and Kikyou. They seemed to be debating the merits of sleeping together, on the bed right next to hers. The main dispute centered on whether she was awake to hear them or not.

"You know you want this, baby," murmured a silver-haired silhouette in the darkness. The sound of his voice was husky and insinuating, and she decided right then she could not listen to this insanity. Loudly throwing her legs over the side of her bed, Kagome stomped her feet on the floor, letting them know she was aware of their presence.

"All you have to do is ask me to leave," she announced testily. "I'm more than willing to give you guys some privacy."

It was too dark to tell for sure, but it seemed like Kikyou sported a blush, regretting the fact that they had disturbed a friend's sleep. On the other hand, Inuyasha grinned unrepentantly. "See, I knew she would understand!" he avowed happily.

Kagome slammed the door on her way out. Suddenly, the entire ordeal made her furious. They were docking in Shanghai in the morning, and she was determined to give Inuyasha the cold shoulder all day tomorrow, even if it meant she could not associate with her cousin either. What kind of idiot thought a friend would 'understand' being kicked out of her own room in the middle of the night? Why did she like Inuyasha again?

Grabbing a pen and a pad of paper from the main deck, she wrote a short message, just beneath the ship's logo on the page. When they reached China in the morning, she would go with the first group of tourists, earlier than her friends liked to rise in the morning. It meant she would be surrounded by older men and women all day, but she hoped time alone would give her the chance to cool down and photograph awesome pictures of the city before she rejoined her friends. It also meant that they would worry, and question her endlessly when she returned, but Sango and Miroku would keep the peace. They were good at that.

Briefly explaining her plans and her motivation, while leaving out any mention of her feelings for Inuyasha, she slid the note under Sango's door. There now, it was done. It was not so hard to find a little slice of freedom, even surrounded by noisy tourists and nosy friends, in a foreign land. Let them think she was miffed about giving up her room; no one needed to know the whole story.

Feeling exceptionally sorry for herself, Kagome bit back her tears and walked to the main deck. The cold, night air forced her eyes to water even more, and soon her blouse was thoroughly soaked with the disobedient little droplets of water trickling down her cheeks. Why didn't he like her again? During the day, she could convince herself it was merely a matter of timing, but at night she seemed too pudgy, too boring and plain to be likeable. She and Kikyou were not so different, after all. If he liked Kikyou, then why not her too? What did her cousin have that she lacked, if not an extra bit of elegance and flare?

A bell rang in the darkness, and she heard voices in the gloomy darkness. Her head snapped up, facing into the west. They were close to shore now – she could see the lights of the city stretching all across the shoreline. Other boats were in the area too, although they seemed merely shapeless masses in the night at this distance. By morning, the cruiseship would navigate its way partway down the Huángpu river, arriving at their designated stop, then the tourists could disembark and take another scenic boat tour of the city, on small vessels. The afternoon would involve shopping and dinner, and she could rejoin her friends at the hotel…

Like earlier in the day, Kagome had leaned against the railing once more, but without realizing it, she bent much further forward this time. Propping herself up on the bottom rung, her eyes grew wide with surprise as she felt the sole of her foot slip off the wet metal, unbalancing her and causing her to loose her grip on the rail. She should have worn her shoes; signs posted around the area warned of the dangers of slipping on the slick surface of the deck. Unfortunately, her sudden insight on this issue came too late. With a tiny shriek, Kagome toppled over the railing and hit the water with a splash.

From inside the ship's cabin, the captain and pilots never heard a thing.

* * *

It was a godsend.

He had just completed his tour of the factory floor, and he was speaking to one of the local managers in the man's office. The smell of slightly over-steeped tea wafted into his nostrils, as the supervisor cordially offered him a cup which he respectfully declined. Glancing around the small but comfortable office, Sesshoumaru had relaxed into his chair. Ever since they had entered the room, behind the man's head a tiny television had been playing silently, broadcasting a local news station. Ignoring it, since the manager seemed to be doing so as well, Sesshoumaru had chatted amiably about their progress, until he saw… it.

A picture of that woman, looking rather haggard and wet, was plastered across the television screen. Politely interrupting their conversation and requesting to listen to the news, he had taken in the information with wide eyes. A Japanese woman with no identification had been dragged out of the Eastern Sea onto the docks. No one had come to claim her yet, and the authorities had deemed it wise to publicize her picture. Apparently, the woman had amnesia. Since she was obviously a foreigner, the city police hoped to find her companions soon, by using the media to alert them to her presence.

It was Kikyou! His half-brother's annoying, despicable, cold-hearted wench! What on earth was she doing in Shanghai? Suddenly, he could remember his half-brother saying something about a cruise, but it didn't make any sense that no one had come to pick her up yet. The accident had happened earlier in the morning, before the sun rose, and it was almost evening now. And this was a re-broadcast…

"You know this lady?" asked the manager curiously, helpfully translating the broadcast into Japanese, although Sesshoumaru had already grasped the gist of it. "They are saying she cannot remember her own name, and they are still looking for her family."

Now, normally Sesshoumaru was not an evil person. He wasn't even mischievous. Usually he was the ever-dutiful son, hard-working, intelligent, and calm. In fact, many company employees and acquaintances would have attested to their deep respect for him.

But Inuyasha always had been his sticking point. The boy needed to learn a lesson. He needed to understand fiscal responsibility and personal accountability. Take this, for example! Here, his girlfriend had been dumped into the ocean, lost her memory, and she was alone in a foreign land. Yet Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. Why the idiot had not come for her already, he could hardly fathom.

That was when the Plan had taken shape in his mind. It began hazily – the vaguest notion of teaching his brother a lesson, combined with his annoyance at this Kikyou woman in general and his exasperation at having to bail his brother out of trouble so often. At the very least, someone had to go collect the woman, whether she was irritating or not.

But who said that he had to return the girl to his half-brother?

Thus the Plan was born. He would pick up Kikyou from the police station, and take her home to Japan, and he would not alert his brother to this fact. The worry would do his brother good, and the woman's memory would return in due time. Meanwhile, he could have fun watching his half-brother squirm.

His most immediate consideration, then, was how to get the silly woman out of the police station. And his manager's question had given him the perfect idea. Even though Japan was a large country, and the odds of him recognizing the face on the screen were really quite low, the very first question his employee had asked upon seeing his interest in the picture was 'do you know her?'

It was almost too easy. It would never work in a million years. He was going to try it.

Excusing himself from the factory, he bowed and made his apologies, explaining that he did in fact know the wayward tourist and he had to pick up his acquaintance straightaway. After seeing the news broadcast, the employees let him leave easily enough. The local manager eagerly wished him well and hoped to see him again another time.

"She's my wife," he explained again, trying to act like a desperate man who was forcing himself to remain calm. It was far too easy to pretend – the calm came naturally, and the subdued panic had overcome him right about the time he set foot in the police station. If they suspected he was lying, then they might arrest him. They could hold him for attempted kidnapping, or something like that. His palms felt sweaty. Getting arrested on a business trip to China was low on his list of priorities. "She was supposed to meet me at the hotel, after she got off the cruise ship."

The authorities had no problem letting him visit the girl. Confiscating his license while he spoke with her, they stood by patiently assessing whether he spoke the truth or not. Luckily, Kikyou was making everything easy.

"I'm married?" she said, in bewilderment. "I do recognize him though. He looks very familiar."

Sesshoumaru sat across from her, grasping her hands across the slim table in the waiting room. "Yes, that's because I'm your husband. Can you remember my name?"

"Um…" Screwing up her face in concentration, the girl blinked several times and stared into his eyes. "Rumpelstiltskin?" she hazarded a guess, then relaxed into a smile, "Sorry, just kidding. Not funny, I know."

The smile on her face was so unusual that Sesshoumaru found he could not look away from her. Since when did Kikyou form cute little dimples as she smiled? Since when did his half-brother's girlfriend smile at all? She was typically quiet and cold.

Shaking his head to rid it of such strange thoughts, he turned to the guards with a schooled, blank expression. Gears grinding in his head, he knew he had to find some way of identifying her without a doubt. Only he had no passport for her, no wallet, no identification card… wait! Wallet! He had a picture in his wallet somewhere of his brother and Kikyou (not from any sort of sentimental affection, merely because his Father insisted they carry each other's pictures for 'family bonding' purposes). Sesshoumaru had taken the picture and carefully hidden it behind a picture of his daughter, Rin. But the photograph should still be there, and for once, it might serve a purpose.

Digging it out, he held the photo up for the guard's perusal. "Here, it's a picture of her with my brother, they go to school together."

The policeman nodded curtly, seeming to find this satisfactory. Really, there was little more they could do, if the girl did not remember her family. At least she found her husband to have a 'familiar' face; he could only imagine the difficulties the couple was going to face, upon arriving home.

With a gesture, the guard indicated they should follow him to the front desk again. Signing his name in the register, like he was signing for a package, Sesshoumaru was allowed to take his young wife home.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: Have I inspired anyone to watch the movie yet?

As for why Sesshoumaru didn't notice the difference in eye color between the two girls – I think he has never stared deeply into Kikyou's eyes in this story. Plus, he is adept at seeing only what he wants and ignoring everything else. He's very… focused.

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 4:**

Tapping her fingers on the bar top in irritation, Sango perused the lobby once more. The note had said she would meet them in the hotel lobby, but evening came early in Shanghai on the east of a time zone, and so far there was no sign of their friend. Kikyou appeared concerned as well, while Inuyasha remained carefree, and Miroku showed no sign of distress, although he probably felt it. Perhaps the girl had gone out to eat dinner, before returning from the tour?

It was strange, the way she had suddenly left a note and stormed off without her long-time friends. Sure, it was rude of Kikyou and Inuyasha to have relations in the same room as a person who was trying to sleep. But this alone did not seem like enough to incite such wrath in a usually kind and complacent Kagome. And she was obviously furious – the note was clipped and terse, stirring up Sango's curiosity. Clearly, something else had happened last night that upset the girl.

Now, as the last few members of their tour group straggled in off the streets, Sango was becoming more and more concerned. When her friend arrived, they were going to have a long talk! Friends didn't leave other friends in the lurch. Wondering where Kagome had been all day or what had happened to make her so angry was driving Sango to distraction.

With a soft scrape, Miroku pushed back his chair and smiled. His serene expression did not reach his eyes. "If it is all right with you, I am going to sit in the room for a while," he intoned softly.

Nodding her agreement, Sango and her violet-eyed friend crossed gazes. Silently, they both recognized the fact that it was getting late, and someone might need to sit by the phone in case she called. This way, they could cover more bases. As he walked away, Miroku touched her shoulder reassuringly, demonstrating that he understood her unspoken concerns.

Once in the suite, Miroku flopped down on one of the single beds and positioned himself beside the phone. There were no messages waiting for them at the front desk. With a sigh, he switched on the television to pass the time while he waited, never knowing that he and his friends had just missed a most interesting broadcast, a few hours ago.

* * *

Any doubts he might have had about the Plan had washed away, in the face of this woman's obvious insanity. It was hard to feel sympathic toward her while she was driving him up the wall. Surely, she must be a manic-depressive nutcase; her demeanor gyrated between happiness and somber resolve, every fifteen minutes or so. And traveling with her was, quite frankly, embarrassing. First she pushed her nose against the window of the plane, staring out at the sea like she had never been flying before, then she stuck a pair of complementary headphones in her ears, blasting herself with music while relaxing into the business class seat. Later, seeming to forget that she had the earphones on the maximum volume, she had turned to him and screeched loudly in his ear. "Look," she had squealed, "I can see Mount Fuji!"

Other passengers had glared in his direction, as though he was riding with a recalcitrant two-year old on a business-trip and clearly should have known better than to bring her. Yet how was he to have known that a person could change so drastically, just from developing amnesia? Maybe this was what the usually dispassionate and aloof Kikyou was really like underneath the surface. It was almost too much for his overtaxed brain to contemplate.

Calling ahead from the airport, he had dismissed Rin's nanny early and instructed her to take a well-deserved break from work. Next, he had spoken with his daughter to explain the situation before he arrived home. Of course this was easier said than done. The girl was only four years old; it was both easy and extremely difficult to explain things to her at once. He compromised by simply informing her she should call the woman "Mommy" because that was her name. The situation wouldn't last long. Doubtless, Kikyou would regain her memories upon seeing familiar areas in Japan. The psychologist's report in the police station in Shanghai had virtually assured him of this fact.

And so it was that he drew himself ever deeper into his current quandary.

The ride home had sparked absolutely no recollections in the girl. Upon seeing the limousine, she had gripped his arm tightly and frowned. "I feel like I have never ridden in one of these before…" she had murmured pensively under her breath. Hearing the soft-spoken words, he had inspected them for truth.

Inuyasha had taken his girlfriend places in this very limousine before - he knew it. He remembered calling the chauffeur himself, trying to cancel his half-brother's reservation, determined not to allow his sibling to waste money on impressing his useless friends. Unfortunately, his Father had overridden him, stating the boy should be allowed to have his 'fun' while in college. Sesshoumaru had thought it exceptionally foolish to believe his half-brother would ever grow out of such extravagant gestures, if permitted to continue when he was young. Company cars should be used for company functions and business only, not for random dates and spoiling oneself with lavish expenditures.

It was yet another subject on which he and his Father did not see eye-to-eye. But then, Touga had already established himself in the world, and his business was flourishing. Sesshoumaru was the one trying to save money and someday surpass his Father.

In any case, it was clear that the silly woman had not remembered herself yet, merely by sitting in a familiar car.

Very well then, he decided, he would simply keep her a few more days. It would do no good to release her on the streets of Tokyo, without even an address to send her home. If her memory came back early, then he would gladly let her go. Meanwhile, she would be fine by his side; his house was spacious enough to accommodate three people.

His half-brother's pleasure cruise would last until the end of the week. At some point, the boy was bound to notice her absence. Eventually, he would return defeated and desperate to know where his precious girlfriend of the week could possibly be. And once Sesshoumaru observed his brother's whole-hearted repentance for leaving the poor girl alone nearly twenty-four hours in a foreign police station, then he would relieve Inuyasha's misery and reveal the girl was safe and sound.

This tricky issue resolved at last in his mind, Sesshoumaru softened his stance somewhat. There were approaching his home, and his chauffeur was smiling and nodding in response to a comment the woman had made. His brow crinkled slightly.

Although Kikyou had been reticent at first about riding in the limousine, she had obviously begun to enjoy the ride. After playing with the speaker controls in the back and switching on and off the recessed lighting panel, she had endeavored to engage him in idle conversation. When this failed, she had tapped on the glass panel dividing the front and back of the car, and she had started chatting with his driver.

Amazing really, how complete her amnesia-induced personality shift had been. It was almost as though she had become a different person. Sesshoumaru squinted at her and examined her more closely, as the car parked in the driveway. Had he accidentally rescued a random Japanese tourist from Shanghai? No, this definitely looked like the girl that his brother had been dating. Only her attitude had changed entirely. Admittedly he did not know the girl too well; maybe she was like this all the time.

Stepping out of the limousine, he thanked the driver and guided Kikyou into his house, whereupon a screaming brown and black streak streamed toward the door. "Daddy! Daddy!" Rin chanted over and over, "You're home! You're home!"

Out of habit, he braced himself against a wall, ready for the impact of a fifteen kilo flying child below the knees. Instead though, the four-year old skidded to a halt in the foyer, staring at the newcomer in the hallway. Her hair was messy today; he could tell she had been trying to fix it herself after her nanny left. The pigtail stuck straight off the right side of her head. Not eager to find out whether the child remembered his instructions from the airport, Sesshoumaru knelt and picked her up immediately.

But before he could say anything at all, he heard a puzzled voice from his side. "I have a daughter?" the woman asked incredulously.

Internally, he groaned. There went his idea of claiming that 'Mommy' was just a name, thereby avoiding confusing issues for Rin later on… But then, the concept had been faulty to begin with – ultimately his 'wife' was bound to broach the subject. He had merely hoped to discuss it out of Rin's earshot.

Taking her cue from this, Rin grinned exuberantly. Never even questioning the oddity of having a mother where none had existed before, she abruptly reached out and requested a hug. It lasted all of two seconds. Then, struggling to get down to the floor, Rin grabbed her mother's hand with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, a look which her father knew well. Sometimes his daughter seemed to understand more than he did; she always saw through his excuses. And often she seemed more like her uncle Inuyasha than he was willing to admit, for she loved to pull pranks on her caretakers. He would have to watch her closely. "Come on, I'll show you my dolls!" she exclaimed, dragging her captive up the stairwell.

"Okay," the woman replied weakly, "Have I seen them before?"

He followed, and for the rest of the day he merely watched them interact. Surprisingly, the two girls got along quite well. Although Rin appeared unconvinced by the pretense of having a new mother, she was clearly all right with the idea of having a new playmate. Bemused, he shook his head and went to unpack.

* * *

"These are my clothes?" Kagome mouthed with wonder. An entire closet full of incredible, snazzy, expensive dresses and suits lay open for her perusal. She blinked and forcibly ignored the voice whispering in her mind, telling her she was unworthy to wear such things.

Still, it was strange. In her gut she knew that she had never worn such beautiful clothes in her life, she knew it. Yet there they were. Glancing downward, she saw an abused pair of dirty sneakers, a worn pair of jeans, and a well-traveled t-shirt, all of which smelled rather badly after over a day's worth of travel. Glancing back into the closet, she saw fields of cocktail dresses and high-heeled pumps. Italian loafers, Armani suits, private changing room with a rotating shoe rack… Something didn't match up here.

"_These_ are my clothes?" she repeated again, louder this time. "These can't be my clothes."

Behind her, Sesshoumaru lounged on the bed observing his 'wife' as she fawned over his mother's old wardrobe. The lady had passed away a few years ago, and Touga had immediately married his mistress, leaving his eldest son to deal with his mother's belongings. Her entire estate had passed to him by default, because she died intestate and no one else expressed any interest. And for some reason, although women's clothing and effeminate trinkets did not please him, he had been unable to throw anything away or give the outfits to charity. For a while, the cloth had retained her scent and he had surrounded himself with them on bad days, basking in her smell. Some days he missed her more than others. Most days he missed her terribly.

But at the moment, he did not miss her at all. It would have amused his mother to watch this woman swoon in awe over her possessions. Furthermore, she would have loved dressing up a 'less-fortunate' creature in a respectable fashion. Biting back a smirk, he dared the girl to try something on since she did not believe the dresses belonged to her.

"Well, okay…" she mumbled in response. "But you have to leave the room!"

Truly, the gods were kind to him today. Teasing her was too simple. "But my dear," he intoned darkly, "We're married. Why so shy?"

Instantly, Kagome turned as red as a beet. Perhaps she might not be able to remember her name, but she was absolutely certain that undressing in front of a man was forbidden territory. Pondering why this should be, she put one hand to her lips in puzzlement. "We don't sleep in the same room though, do we?" she asked. Certainly, she would remember something so monumental as…. as… shared living space!

He relented on this one. At the end of the week, he intended to return her to his half-brother, so complications like this were out of the question. So far, he had skirted any legal issues; there would be no cause for anyone to sue him for helping out an abandoned Japanese tourist in China. And it was not against the law to tell someone she was your wife. Not even when the lady had no way of knowing the truth. And he couldn't have kidnapped her, because she was willing and she was not a minor, right? So there was no harm done, as long as he took care of her while she was disabled and delivered her to her friends when they re-entered Japan.

"No," he replied cautiously. "You always sleep downstairs. The couch is good for your bad back."

"I have a bad back?" Kagome moaned. It was believable enough; she had been feeling very sore in that area, ever since… well, ever since she woke up on a dock in Shanghai.

"Yes," he assured her as he departed the room, allowing her some privacy. "You herniated a disc, trying to carry too much at once."

Continuing to pester him even after he left the room, she called out questions and replies, as she dumped her clothing on the floor in a messy pile and considered throwing her shoes in the trash. The sneakers seemed almost frightening; the soles were worn, and they looked shoddy after their sojourn in the ocean. Maybe these were her traveling pair, footwear intended only for comfort on long trips.

Meanwhile, she enjoyed the sensation of plush, dark beige carpet under her feet, and she tried to remember her favorite color, seeing no other way to choose a dress from the multitude of hues and fabrics before her. One dress in particular caught her eye – it was a long black gown with a simple design, and a velvet top. Slipping herself into the outfit, she walked into the bathroom to examine her profile in a mirror.

The dress was too long for her and it fit oddly, making her look slightly lumpy on both sides. The chest was too loose, and the waist of the dress lay too low on her frame. Once again, something just did not seem right. Confused, she called out to him yet again. "Sesshoumaru, I've gotten shorter!"

"You normally wear high heels," he answered glibly from directly outside the bathroom door. With a gasp, she turned to see her husband calmly standing in the bedroom, his hands in his pockets.

The walk-in closet was behind him, and the door to the bedroom was between them to one side, therefore he must have seen her wander past the entrance in a dress before he had intruded. Still, she did not deal well with being startled. "The shoes don't fit me either," she snapped, although she had not tested a pair yet.

"You've lost a lot of weight," he added smoothly. As he spoke, Sesshoumaru wondered if lying was something at which he naturally excelled, or if he was learning the skill on the fly. The trick would be writing down his excuses so he would not slip up and change his story later. "You had to because of your back."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," she mumbled unhappily. It was crushing! All those beautiful clothes and none of them were going to fit her, because she was too flat chested and bony around the waist, now that she had lost so much weight. Meandering back into the closet, she held up various different outfits by their hangers, laying them along her front to compare sizes.

The light suddenly shut off above her head. Looking back to the door, she could see her husband, holding down a switch on the closet doorframe, outlined by the light in the bedroom behind him. "It's very late," he reminded her gently, "You should rest."

All the excitement and commotion today and the night before had left her bewildered and unsure of herself, so she quickly agreed and followed him down the stairs. After he prepared her a spot on the sofa, she wished him goodnight, then cuddled into the cushions on the couch. Hopefully, in the morning she would remember a little more about her life. Her husband seemed like such a nice man, albeit a tad silent and stern. She wanted to remember him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: One sleep-deprived reviewer wrote that he (or she) had not actually read a chapter, but wanted to write something anyway. I am grateful. However, reviews are not a pre-requisite for new chapters. My reply to you, dear reader – "Get some rest. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything." – Count Rugen to Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride.

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 5:**

"What do you mean, we have to wait at least twenty-four hours to file a missing person's report?" Inuyasha snarled. The man behind the desk answered rapidly in Chinese, and once again the platinum-blond man cursed himself for failing to learn the language. Poking Miroku in the side, he silently ordered his friend to translate the words faster. Patience in such situations was not his strong suit. "Tell'im she went on a tour, and she din't come back. She's lost in a strange city, and she's terrible with directions!"

The black-haired male batted away his companion's hand. Worried violet-eyes regarded a friend, as they stood in the lobby of the nearest local police station. It was one o'clock in the morning, which made it two o'clock in Japan, and all of them felt exhausted and upset. "I'm_trying_ to tell him exactly that, Inuyasha!"

Jin-Ho was new to the force. That was why he had to work the night shift, when all the crazy people and the criminals came out in Shanghai. As such, he slept most of the day and he did not see the pictures on the news that morning of a Japanese tourist with amnesia. If he had, then he might have realized the forgetful tourist looked distinctly like a girl in this group. Then again, he might not have afforded it a second thought in either case. Jin-Ho believed in following the rules.

Rubbing his head, the policeman tried to phrase his answer firmly while still remaining apologetic. "I am sorry, sir. Shanghai is a very big city – many people get lost here everyday. If she is a tourist on this cruise, then she may have returned to the boat?"

It wasn't an answer that Miroku and his friends were willing to accept, but it was the only one they received.

* * *

Her desire to recall their marriage had quickly evaporated the next morning when she awoke. A note rested on a sidetable next to the sofa, explaining he had left for the office, and she should not expect him until late that evening. Underneath this, he had supplied her with a helpful list of 'things-to-do' for the day. _Since Rin's nanny is gone for the week_, he had penned, _it is the least you could do_.

The note met a quick and violent end, crumpled and thrown into the fireplace waiting to be burned later. Something inside her strongly disapproved of being treated like a servant. One thing was for certain, no one ordered her around!

Besides she did not know how to cook, or clean, or do laundry, did she? Biting her lip, she wondered if these were easy activities, or if they were difficult. She was soon to find out, as Rin came thundering down the stairs and greeted her in the living room with a chipper salutation.

"What's for breakfast?" the little girl asked, wasting no time in getting down to business. "I like strawberry Pocky. And ice cream. And ramen."

Kagome frowned at this. She vaguely recalled the existence of these Pocky sticks, little breadsticks dipped in strawberry chocolate. But nothing within her indicated or hinted at this being acceptable mealtime fare. "You eat Pocky for breakfast?"

Rin nodded enthusiastically and manhandled her new playmate once more, towing her toward the kitchen. "You always let me eat Pocky for breakfast, Mommy," she answered in a deviously straightforward manner.

"I don't know…" backpedaled the older girl. "Maybe I can make a rice-omelet instead. Tamagoyaki is good too, right?"

This met with even more fervent approval from the little girl, so she received a crash course in cooking. A few egg shell splinters remained in the food, but overall she and Rin were pleased with the result. The day was bright and the sun was shining merrily through the windows by the time they finished, and Rin ran outside to play, while Kagome slowly hand-washed the dishes. Reaching for a towel, she was just about done, when she felt a stream of water strike her spine.

With a shriek, she spun around, only to observe a devilish grin on the four-year old's face. The girl had silently crept up on her, then attacked her with a water gun. The plastic monstrosity appeared to be as large as Rin. A water tank that big could hold a lot of fluid, she realized with dismay.

"What was that for?" she demanded to know, dripping on the wooden floor of the kitchen. "You take that outside."

"But Mommy, you always let me bring my squirt toys in the house," wheedled the girl.

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome stood upright and tried to look stern. Merely because a little brown-eyed, fluffy haired girl gazed at her with an adorable, pleading expression, this was no reason to lose her willpower. She had to pull herself together!

"Nuh-uh. Look at this floor – it's way too clean for that kind of …"

Before she could complete her sentence though, Rin aimed the gun at her again, splashing her face with water. This time, she did not bother trying to reason with the girl. She lunged for the water gun, and soon she was chasing the girl around the house as the four-year old shrieked with delight, nimbly avoiding all her advances.

* * *

The house was in shambles. Chaotic disorder and his home, in the same place at the same time. Sesshoumaru's eyebrow developed a small tic as he pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply. Water stains trickled down the walls, the couch cushions looked like they had been used to beat a small dog to death, and a storm of toys covered everything in sight. It looked like an explosion of fun had rocked his residence.

Clearly, the Plan was not working. Perhaps Kikyou had not read his message that morning? He had worked for twelve hours, trying to catch up on what he had missed, but he should have known better than to leave a stranger alone with his daughter all day. It was irrational, even if the woman did not remember herself and Rin seemed to respect her. Normal human beings could not create such an excessive mess in only one day. He knew Rin was the one responsible.

However, laying the blame on his daughter was impossible. Rin's nurse never allowed such foolish behavior, so ultimately the fault lay with this new woman. After leaving her a short, comprehensible list of activities, she had accomplished this instead. Destroying his house rather than following Rin's daily lesson plans or laundering their dirty traveling clothes was unacceptable! And now, even though it was only seven o'clock in the evening, the house was quiet and dark. There was no bright little face racing toward the door, no attacks on his person, no hugs… Where were those two?

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru panicked. The woman might have regained her memories while he worked at his office. What would a woman like Kikyou do in that situation? Visions of his daughter flashed through his mind. The woman might have kidnapped Rin to retaliate for all his lies.

He hurried up the stairs and threw open his daughter's door, only to discover both girls snoozing in a heap on the bed, worn out by the day's events. A knot of tension gradually unwound from his heart, and he quietly moved forward to cover them with blankets, mindful of their rest. Retreating down the hall, he collapsed onto his bed, without bothering to remove his jacket or his suit as he crumpled face-down on the mattress.

The air-conditioning kicked in, humming a soothing frequency of white noise in his ear, and he grunted into his pillow, wondering whether somehow his half-brother's girlfriend was better with Rin than he was. His daughter had never failed to come downstairs and welcome him home. He had never dreamed they would get along so well. Today was a first in many ways.

Too much worrying did no good, however, and he resolved to start from scratch with his lovely _wife_. Either she failed to read the note, or she did not take well to orders, but regardless, she would learn to obey his will. Rin was very advanced for her age, yet she could not afford to fall behind in her studies. He expected her to be able to read and write before she reached grade-school. Japanese children usually started learning Kanji in the first grade and by sixth grade, they knew over a thousand characters. Thus, if Rin learned a couple hundred Kanji before she entered school, then she would have the advantage, acing her exams and impressing her teachers while other children struggled to learn basic letters.

Children needed structure, not wayward, flighty parents who had affairs and ignored their family, like Touga. Rin would have a better life. This woman would not be allowed to mess up her education, not even for a scant number of days.

* * *

For the second time in as many days, the four of them were huddled miserably in a police station. Slumping forward in a hard wooden chair, Kikyou stared miserably at the floor and prayed her cousin was all right. Inuyasha yelled at the front desk once again, furiously petitioning the local police to relay a missing person's alert or better still, an arrest warrant of some kind. The fact that no one had any idea who the criminal might be or what he might have done to Kagome did not matter. The light-haired man wanted action, now!

Needless to say, the policeman at the front desk was not impressed. Miroku had moved forward to reason with the officers and with Inuyasha, attempting to infuse calm into a dreadful situation. As a pause ensued, Kikyou glanced up from her spot in the corner to check why the voices had died down abruptly. Oddly enough, one of the officers was gawking at her. The woman looked startled, almost ready to drop the pile of file folders she was holding. As she said something to Miroku, Kikyou leapt to her feet realizing the significance of this officer's gaze. If the lady recognized her, then she had probably seen Kagome somewhere!

Meanwhile, Miroku's eyes widened when he heard what the female officer had to say. He quickly repeated it to his group. "She says you look like the Japanese woman from the bay, the one on the news yesterday."

A flurry of questions ensued, leaving Kikyou in the dark. Sango came to stand stolidly by her side, reassuring in her presence. Presently, Miroku jotted down some instructions on a small pad and elucidated for the rest of them. It seemed Kagome had already been found! They simply had to traverse the city to the station where she had been held and ask for her whereabouts. It would take another hour, and it might cause them to miss the cruise ship's departure, but each of them agreed finding Kagome took top priority.

Glad to have such supportive friends, Kikyou found her smile again and hugged her boyfriend tightly, relief washing through her body. Her cousin was safe and sound.

Then, Miroku explained the rest of the situation.

Her cousin had trauma-induced amnesia and could not remember her friends. Even more ominous, the police claimed a man had already come by the station to transport her back to Japan. The anxiety she had known all night long immediately returned in force.

Arriving at the station where Kagome had been scant hours before, the four college students poured out of a turquoise Da Zhong cab, leaving Inuyasha to foot the bill as usual. This was probably a good thing too, since their short-tempered friend would likely start yelling the moment he entered the building. It afforded Miroku a few minutes of peace in which to inquire about their missing friend.

"I'm not sure I understand correctly," Miroku spoke at last, furrowing his brow. "They say her husband took her home."

The policeman laid the case file down and tapped a book full of names and information to illustrate his point. On the page he saw license number, address, phone number, and a signature. It read 'Sesshoumaru Inuhito.' Violet-eyes darkened with shock.

By this time, almost two days had passed since Kagome fell from the ship. It did not figure. Why would Sesshoumaru recover their friend from the police station, and then refuse to reveal his actions? Perhaps he did not know which hotel they were staying in, yet he could have called his brother with the information, at the very least.

As Miroku faced the group, explaining what had learned, Inuyasha muscled his way through and grabbed the registry, instantly on edge. His reaction was no where near as calm as his friend, however. "The asshole did what?!" bellowed the platinum-haired boy. Back on familiar territory now that he could be furious with his brother, instead of the entire world, Inuyasha began to vent all his pent up frustration. "No fuckin' way! This takes the cake! That bastard can't even take the _minimal _time required out of his busy schedule to tell us where our missing friend is, and he _lied_ in order to get her out of Shanghai. I don't believe this!"

"Indeed, it takes great gall to shanghai someone from Shanghai," Miroku keenly pointed out, although no one appreciated his pun. Rolling his eyes, the black-haired man asked one more question of the guard, while his testosterone-driven friend simmered in anger. After a few minutes, he translated, "A psychologist visited Kagome and surmised the best thing would be for her to return to a familiar setting. Perhaps your brother simply brought her home in order to…"

"No," Inuyasha interrupted in a huff, "He wasn't being generous – he doesn't know the meaning of the word!"

"Wait," Miroku tried to reason with his friend. "Do you really think she would have enjoyed the rest of our trip, without her memory? Whatever his intent, Sesshoumaru did a good thing by returning her to Japan as soon as possible."

Their blond companion had gone red with fury. The vessels on his forehead were standing out and the color was still rising toward the roots of his hair. It was enough to make Miroku step backward slightly. "Just like the bastard to torture me," Inuyasha continued as though he heard nothing, "It's always like this – he says I'm lazy, that I don't work hard enough, that I shouldn't take vacations, or have a life. I bet he hoped to ruin the rest of our cruise by forcing us to worry about her the whole time."

Thanking the local police for their help and their profuse patience, Miroku ushered his friends back out of the station. "Be that as it may, we have two options – one, take the next flight to Tokyo, or two, finish our cruise and avoid paying any additional money in transit."

Immediately, Kikyou voted to fly home, because she wanted to see her cousin as soon as possible, to reassure herself Kagome was truly unharmed. Yet while Sango was clearly tempted to choose this option as well, she and Miroku had too little money to buy airplane tickets. Their resources had been stripped to a bare minimum by this cruise. Remarkably, Inuyasha swung the vote. Crossing his arms over his chest, he insisted that his brother was up to something, and that he refused to play into his half-brother's hands. If Sesshoumaru wanted them to worry about Kagome, ruining the remainder of their cruise, then Inuyasha determined he would do the exact opposite.

"We should finish our trip," he announced firmly, explaining his logic. "I'll call him and you can speak with your cousin, but I guarantee she's okay. He may be a bastard, but he'd never hurt a lady."

Having met Sesshoumaru personally, Kikyou was not so sure about this, but she tentatively nodded and agreed to the idea. With a cold glint in his eye, Inuyasha pulled out his cell phone. Finally, he had an opportunity to get back at his brother! Revenge was sweet. "But first," he concluded maliciously, "I have to call my Dad."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: Sesshoumaru thinks that Kagome's name is 'Kikyou', so he calls her by this name in his words and thoughts. Kagome thinks of herself by this name too, since it is the one her 'husband' gave her.

But when I write as a third-person narrator, and nobody is thinking or talking about their own perceptions, I still refer to her as Kagome, because that is who she is. Sorry, if the text vacillates and confuses the issue.

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 6:**

That night she dreamed of her old life. Or at least, this was what she guessed the dream must represent. After all, she had no memories on which to base her supposition.

A familiar looking boy with light-colored hair slept in a forest, bound to a tree by an arrow. Sunshine had filtered through the tree-leaves, sprinkling sparks of color on her face and hands, and as his hair had flashed in the light, she had realized that the razor-tipped, wooden shaft pierced his heart.

For some reason, it had hurt to look at him. If an arrow had pierced his heart, then did this mean he was already in love? Believing that he would love her instead, when he finally opened his eyes, she had reached for the arrow in her dream.

But the instant she touched it, the arrow had transformed in her grasp and she had found herself standing in a field, surrounded by darkness and dust. Standing before her, in glorious silk robes and feudal armor, her husband had glared at her from a distance, silently daring her to continue. "The next one," she had cried out in fear, hoping to hide the quaking in her legs, "Is for you!"

The arrow had missed his heart, ripping into his left arm instead, and she had risen from the dream in terror, knowing somehow that her husband did not love her at all. The premonition had been so strong that it became hard to fall asleep. Only after a full hour of watching her daughter and listening to the girl's soft, slow breaths had she been able to find peace once more.

* * *

Three jaws hung suspended in disbelief, as Inuyasha hung up the phone. "There!" he crowed triumphantly, "That'll ensure he drops her off at the shrine in no time! Sesshoumaru is balancing on a thin ledge as it is. Dad is still pissed about him having a daughter out of wedlock. If he married without permission, then it would spell the end for him."

Wide eyed, Miroku asked, "Wasn't it cruel to make such a phone call in that case?" Suddenly he felt glad to be an only child. Sometimes sibling rivalry was too much!

"Nah," Inuyasha replied, scrunching up his nose as though the very thought disgusted him, "They aren't really married. Besides, Sesshoumaru needs to learn a lesson in caring for other people's feelings. It was totally rude to take Kagome home without telling us!"

Flagging down another turquoise cab, Inuyasha grinned unrepentantly. If they hurried, then they might still make the boarding call for the cruise ship.

* * *

A knock on the door woke both Sesshoumaru and the occupants of the next room. It was not just a knock, actually. It sounded like a pounding fist trying to beat down his front door. With a groan, he heaved himself off of the bed and flattened his hair, ignoring the fact that his suit was wrinkled beyond recognition because he had slept in his clothing.

A bleary eyed Kikyou met him on the stairs, but it was Rin who finally answered the door. The four-year old had endless amounts of energy. And there, on the doorstep stood his Father.

His daughter scuttled behind their legs, hiding from her grandfather. Because he had always been grouchy around her, she did not like the old man very much. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru wracked his brain for a reason why his parent and employer would be here, glowering at him at the crack of dawn. On a weekday, no less. They both had work soon enough, couldn't it wait?

The white-haired man drew himself up to his full height, towering over them quite impressively, and his eyes flickered over the fresh-faced young woman standing beside his son. "Well? I trust there is a satisfactory explanation for this?" he demanded. The words sounded like an order, rather than an inquiry.

Yet again, Sesshoumaru drew a blank. What on earth was his Father referring to? It was six o'clock in the morning, which meant he had only had… nine hours of rest, given that he had fallen asleep in the early evening, wearing his clothes. Oh, bother. He could feel a headache forming behind his eyes. Somehow this woman had managed to throw off his entire schedule in only two days.

The black-haired beauty at his side bent down and asked Rin in a noisy stage whisper, "Who is that?"

"That's my grandpa," Rin solemnly replied, equally loud, "But Papa says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

This caught everyone's attention, although Kagome did not know what the child meant. Clever girl, Sesshoumaru thought, criticizing her grandfather and affirming her closeness with the woman next to her in the same breath. To Touga, this would imply his daughter valued a perfect stranger more highly than her own grandfather.

Wait… a perfect stranger… sleeping in his house… Suddenly, the reason for his Father's visit became acutely obvious. But how had Touga learned of her existence? Judging by the circles under the old man's eyes, he had stayed up all night fretting over it. Yesterday then, the chauffeur must have told him that Sesshoumaru returned from his trip to China with a woman in tow. Motioning the larger man to enter his home, he closed the door behind them and offered his Father a drink, a chair… anything to make him comfortable and remove the murderous look from his gaze.

"What I _want_ is information," the white-haired man growled. "Who is this woman, and why is she more familiar with my granddaughter than I am?" If Sesshoumaru hadn't been so shell-shocked, then he might have been amused that his daughter's insult had cut so deep. Apparently, at four years of age, Rin already had a way with words.

Then, deciding to demonstrate her talent for provocation yet again, the little girl proudly confessed their secret, "This is my Mommy."

Touga raised his hand, then lowered it quickly to his side, uneasily shifting his weight between his feet as though he were about to burst or bolt. It marked another pioneering moment; the old man was at a loss for words. With absolutely no way of rationalizing the situation in front of both his Father and Kikyou at the same time, Sesshoumaru offered the best he could. "I'll explain later," he said, more calmly than he felt, then showed his Father the door and how to use it.

Already, this day promised to turn into another endless bout of work, both at the office and at home. He had yet to convince Kikyou to complete her chores and complacently agree to tutor Rin. Plus, the living room was still a mess from the day before – his wallpaper might never be the same. Cursing his brother under his breath, Sesshoumaru returned to his bedroom to change his suit.

* * *

"I'm living in a nightmare," Kagome muttered, throwing a dishtowel down on the counter, "It's suddenly clear to me why I forgot all this."

After his Father had left, Sesshoumaru had taken her aside and spelled out what she termed 'the Rules.' She had concluded that he was an asinine, chauvinistic prig. Even if he was just trying to help her remember the past, it still seemed rude.

As a homemaker, she did all the housework while he brought in their money. Next, she always helped Rin study during the day, which didn't sound like very much fun for the four-year old or for her. Had she really agreed to do all these things at one point? Finally, he had accounted for the old man's unfamiliarity with her – apparently, they were newlyweds, and his Father had not had the opportunity to meet her yet, because he rarely ever visited. The latter part she believed; Rin was as unaccustomed to his presence as she was. But the former part just didn't make any sense.

First of all, if they were newlyweds, then why would she have a four-year old daughter? What kind of woman was she? Was she loose? And secondly, why would her husband spend so much time working? Even if it had been four years since they married, the relationship shouldn't have cooled off that fast. Family members were supposed to spend time with each other, and by all accounts, Sesshoumaru never stayed at home. Rin said her Daddy always came home late, most times after sundown.

It worried her slightly. The dream she had last night seemed more prophetic than ever. Maybe her husband didn't really love her. Maybe that was why she had amnesia – because her life was miserable, she was unloved, and her Father-in-law hated her. Rin was a shining star in all this, however. Surely, she could not have wanted to forget Rin.

Still, where were all the photographs of their wedding? Her parents? Rin's first birthday? The house seemed cold and sterile, and indignation bubbled up inside of her, pressuring her to change things and modify the place until it was livable and comfortable.

Annoyed by the mess they created yesterday, her husband had ordered her to clean the whole house. Fair enough, since she had helped to cause the clutter. But she saw no reason for the entire house to be like a museum. A four-year old lived here, for heaven's sake! The house should reflect it. Instead, it looked like a grown-up's home, all sparkly and sterile.

And just when she had been recovering from her resentment over being forced to clean the house like some indentured servant, she had received a fateful phone call. Sesshoumaru had dialed up from the office to inform her that his Father was coming over after work for a few drinks. As much as she had hoped for 'family time' earlier, this was not exactly what she had meant. Frankly, her Father-in-law seemed rather intimidating. Then, to make things worse, Sesshoumaru had intimated that the man liked Boston Crème Pie, so she should make one.

She had spent the last few hours in the kitchen, trying to bake the stupid pie, feeling quite sorry for herself throughout the experience. Here she stood, without the ability to remember grade-school, friends or parents, and he expected her to be talented at baking? The man was insane.

Luckily, following a recipe was not too hard. The pie had emerged from the oven safe and sound, and she had set it aside to cool, collapsing onto the sofa in the living room with relief. Soon afterward, giggling had erupted in the kitchen, and she had rushed back to find Rin standing over the pie, smiling innocently.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, suspicious of her daughter's placid, sweet expression.

"Nothing, Mommy," Rin had replied, taking her hand. "Can I help make a pie too?"

"Absolutely," she had answered with a pleased look, "Next time, we'll do it together."

The doorbell rang before they could make any more plans. Fretting over her appearance, although she had finally found a nice dress from the upstairs closet that fit, she held Rin's hand and opened the door to greet her Father-in-law. Disaster loomed on the horizon. Why had the older man arrived before her husband? She had really hoped to have a moment to talk to Sesshoumaru before being stuck with entertaining a complete stranger.

Inviting him in, she offered him a seat in the living room, and he explained that his son was coming along in a different car. "I cheated and left the office early," he announced with a pleased smile, "I wanted to have a chance to talk with you alone."

The words sounded foreboding, although he delivered them in a friendly tone. Her heart rate increased, and her hands started to fidget without her permission. "So," continued her Father-in-law congenially, "What do you do?"

The room fell silent, as she squirmed uncomfortably. How was she supposed to answer questions when she did not recall her past? Hadn't Sesshoumaru told him of their dilemma? But then, maybe he meant hobbies or something… Maybe he just wanted to know what she had done all day today.

"Um…" she stalled, looking over toward her daughter. Rin had crossed her arms over her chest and was facing them with an adorable pout. "Well, Rin and I learned a poem, and then she cleaned her room while I worked in the kitchen. Why don't you recite the poem for your grandfather, Rin?" she suggested, attempting to include the little girl in the conversation.

Rin shook her head vehemently, continuing to pout. Her reaction seemed to set the older man back a few paces, leaving him slightly confused. He tried again, looking almost embarrassed. "So, you… ah… live with Sesshoumaru now… ?"

The sensation that something was wrong returned, like she was living two separate lives at once. What had her husband told him? It was perfectly normal for married persons to live in the same house. Co-habitation was only a bad thing before marriage.

Affirming his suspicions with a nod, she shrank back into her chair and tried to remain inconspicuous. With sudden chagrin, she realized she still did not actually know this man's name. She had never asked.

"Ah, you don't think… the relationship might be moving a little bit fast?" replied her Father-in-law, furrowing his brow. He seemed even more troubled this time.

"No!" shrieked Rin, sliding out of her chair and scurrying to her new playmate's side. "Don't leave, I don't want you to leave. I like you, don't leave!"

The outburst took them all by surprise, but Kagome quickly knelt and gathered Rin into a hug. With her bottom lip trembling and her brown-eyes watery with unhappiness, the little girl appeared ready to cry. Brushing the fluffy light black hair out of her daughter's face, she shook her head and murmured reassurances. "It's okay. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere…"

Her Father-in-law did nothing, just shifted uneasily and watched her comfort the girl, and she speculated on which of his words had upset the four-year old. Certainly, his questions had been strange, but she didn't think it was enough to incite such a reaction from a small girl. Before she could figure out the mystery, however, the front door burst open and revealed a slightly terror-struck Sesshoumaru.

Mastering his expression in no time flat, he glared at his Father and closed the front door, joining them in the living room. His anger simmered below the surface, but the other adults in the room could easily guess toward whom it was directed. "You left early," he remarked dispassionately, staring at Touga.

Sensing an argument was brewing, and still uncertain what had upset Rin, Kagome decided drastic measures were necessary. Always aiming for harmony, not discord, she hated to see other people fight. "Who wants pie?" she asked cheerily.

"I'll get it!" Rin announced, running for the kitchen. A twitch developed in her cheek, as she tried not to smile. The girl had gone from frantic to over-eager, in only the space of a few minutes. Sesshoumaru and his Father continued to stare each other down, as though their lives depended on it. Obviously, neither one liked to give up without a fight.

Then, Rin returned with her sad-attempt at baking goods, which she had spent the better part of the afternoon creating. Crossing the clean, plush carpet, the pie plate tottered precariously in the four-year old's hands. And there, right in the center of the whipped cream lay one of Rin's rubber toys, a little green lizard with red plastic eyes.

With a wide smile, the girl inspected her new mother for signs of approval. Kagome put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, unsure whether she was disappointed or extremely amused. At least she knew now what her daughter had been up to in the other room, while she was not looking.

"Rin, did you put that lizard into our pie?"

"He was hungry," she answered sweetly.

Amusement won out, and she found herself giggling alongside her daughter, ignoring the strange looks they received from both men.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine. 

Author's Note: Saraiyu Aes Sedai demanded that I update. So I did. 

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 7:**

Awkward. That was one word for the evening. Even as he deflected his Father's nosy questions, he had to deal with Kikyou's questioning looks and doubtful expressions. Clearly, his posturing had not gone unnoticed. Thanks to all the excuses he had made, the woman felt alarmed and knew something was wrong. 

Just a few days ago he had complimented himself on his ability to lie smoothly, but now he seriously lacked faith in his skills. Writing down his trail of answers on paper wouldn't help either, since his lies were part of the problem. By now, the whole situation seemed vaguely out-of-control and ridiculous. Tomorrow, Inuyasha would return, and he would let her go regardless. The original idea had been merely to keep her happy and healthy until his brother returned from his trip. 

If only his Father hadn't gotten tied up in all this! Sesshoumaru had invented more ridiculous excuses in the last day, than ever before in his life. He couldn't rightly tell his Dad that he was trying to torture (a.k.a. instill responsibility in) his little brother, could he? 

When Touga had departed for the evening, Kikyou had immediately rounded on him, demanding to know exactly what he had told her 'Father-in-law' about her amnesia. In truth, he had told his Father next to nothing – she had been explained away as a girlfriend, nothing serious. Since the old man never paid attention to the girls Inuyasha flirted with, he hadn't recognized Kikyou. But there was no way he could have answered her questions without digging himself an even deeper hole. In response, he had wearily replied that Touga would likely force them to separate if he learned of her memory loss… 

Appalled by the news, Kikyou had continued to rant about his unsympathetic Father, until she remembered an even more important point. "And another thing," she had asked, the tremor in her voice cutting him to the quick. "Why is Rin afraid I'll leave? She asked me not to go earlier – have I done it before?"

Too stunned to think of a reply, he had stood mute as her eyes filled with tears. "Is that why you took down the pictures of our wedding?" she had murmured sadly. "I … I did something terrible, didn't I?"

And that had been the moment he realized he was no where near as good at lying as he had thought. In fact, he was downright horrid. The woman thought she had been unfaithful, and this explained why he was angry with her, why Rin thought she might abandon her family, why there were no pictures of her anywhere in the house…

Chilled by the crazy scenario she had imagined, Sesshoumaru had corrected her by harshly denying her self-accusations. Then, he had practically fled the house, stating he had more to accomplish at the office. It was true too. He had wasted the entire day thinking of plausible ways to wriggle out of his dilemma and avoid raising his Father's suspicions, and he had gotten nothing done. 

It seemed there were only two options at this point. On the one hand, he could tell her the truth and hope she remembered herself, in order to send her home. She would be furious, of course, but what did it matter, since he wasn't really interested in her, and he could think of no real reason to keep her any longer? 

He shuddered slightly, envisioning her anger upon learning the truth. 

On the other hand, he could forge some pictures of their wedding. Surely there were pictures on her tiny, digital camera depicting her with friends. And he was fairly good at digital manipulation on a computer. Better than he was at lying, in any case. 

Or maybe he could simply claim the house had burned down, taking the family photo albums with it…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 

It was nearly midnight by the time he rallied the strength to go home. Deciding to cover all his bases, he had 'found' a few pictures of his wife on her camera, then combined them with his own image, but the forgeries looked ridiculous and fake, and he had deleted them immediately. What was he supposed to tell her? 

The truth seemed like the only option, after all. Next time, he would keep in mind how dismal he was at all things dishonest before he embarked upon a similar, foolish adventure. In the morning then, he would explain the situation to her, calmly and clearly. Furious and upset, she would doubtless retreat to the safety of his brother's arms, as soon as Inuyasha reached the city. His half-brother would be angry too, for taking his girlfriend back to Japan without warning him, for making him worry about her (if indeed he had). And perhaps Inuyasha would even learn a lesson out of the ordeal… but perhaps not. Somehow, this part of his plan did not seem so important anymore. In the last few days, the plan had begun to lag behind and finally it had fallen by the wayside. Instead, his mind kept focusing on Kikyou's tearful reunion with Inuyasha. They would kiss and make up…

Why had he thought this was a good idea again? He could have just left her there to rot.

One light at the end of the tunnel remained. At least Inuyasha would be equally ashamed of losing a girlfriend in Shanghai, as Sesshoumaru was now for stealing her back to Japan. Neither one of them had any incentive to tell Father about the incident. From experience, Sesshoumaru knew his half-brother feared Touga's wrath as much as anyone. And if Inuyasha threatened to say anything, well then, he could remind his sibling of the many times Inuyasha had gotten out of trouble in the past, scot-free. The favors he had done his half-brother without informing Touga would finally come to fruition. 

How ignominious – he was actually contemplating blackmail! Inuyasha was an idiot, and Sesshoumaru had only chosen to assist him in the past when he knew it would emphasize that point in his half-brother's mind. Each time he had helped his half-brother, his support had been designed to remind the boy he was not invulnerable, _not_ so Sesshoumaru might use these favors as a bargaining chip later. It cheapened the whole thing to use them in such a fashion. 

Of course, it would not come to that. No one wanted to see Touga angry. In the end, Inuyasha and Kikyou might hate him, but arguably he had done nothing illegal, and his half-brother would keep the situation quiet. 

With a frown, he parked his car and then trudged to the front door, staring at the door handle in the subdued light from the moon. It glowed back at him eerily, defying him, daring him to enter his own house. 

She was probably asleep by now, like yesterday. In the morning, he would tell her the truth, which meant he had all night to figure out the right thing to say and the right way to say it. Silly actually, that he was hesitating on this issue at all. He had been in worse predicaments before now. 

The lights were all off as he slipped through the door, and he never bothered to turn them on as he crept upstairs, quietly making his way to his bedroom. Tomorrow, he would tell her the truth, and his life could go back to normal. It would be a blessing, really. He had not accomplished anything at work since she came, and the woman was generally a nuisance around Rin, letting his daughter have the run of the house. Rin would understand too, glad to get her nanny back, while her nurse would be grateful for a week of paid vacation. Yes, everyone involved would be happier once his 'wife' was gone. 

So why did the idea make him feel so miserable? Was he really so afraid to hear what she had to say? It wouldn't be the first time that he made a woman angry. And tinted windows on the front of his office would effectively prevent him from observing Kikyou interact with his brother, when Inuyasha brought her to work… 

Hmm. That wasn't such a bad idea, actually. Tinted windows would keep him from seeing many annoying things, like employees generally milling about and doing less than they should, like Inuyasha flirting with his secretary when the boy had a perfectly wonderful girlfriend to attend to… 

Furrowing his brow, Sesshoumaru quickly halted his mental tirade and resurrected the last few thoughts for further inspection. Did he just indirectly admit (even if only to himself) that he was jealous of his brother? True, he had always been slightly jealous of Inuyasha – he often felt annoyed by the boy's lackadaisical manner and he envied his half-brother's ability to easily acquire friends. And he always hated the fact that Touga doted on his second son while ignoring his first. But this was different. 

Before, when Kikyou had annoyed him, it had been through his brother. Inuyasha had been the medium, since his half-brother was the one Sesshoumaru truly resented. Now though, when he imagined Kikyou happily reunited with his sibling, it… burned. She was no longer a minor irritation, part and parcel with his exasperation toward Inuyasha for slacking off or being irresponsible or careless. When he thought of her now, it made him want to break things. He was _jealous_ of his brother for having her and not appreciating her.

Which meant…

Taking a deep breath, Sesshoumaru tried to calm down. His chest shuddered slightly as he exhaled, and he clenched one hand as though he was afraid he might lose hold of his sanity if he loosened his grip, even the slightest bit. He was almost to his bedroom, so he just had to keep going, one step at a time. This was not the right moment for an epiphany. 

In fact, it didn't mean anything. Why did feelings have to mean something? Sentiments were useless and absurd. He had the rest of the world convinced that he felt nothing at all, which meant he had only one more person to convince. Looking at the situation in that light, it no longer seemed so daunting. One more step. 

And just as he finally managed to rein in his shock and control his breathing, he heard a tiny sniffle from his room. Turning around, he saw a small glow tracing the carpet, and a short trip down the hall revealed a slim figure sitting alone in the dark, illuminated only by the dim light from the open closet. Surrounded by his mother's clothes, she was crying softly. 

Not even looking up when he entered the room, she miserably began speaking to him, as though he had been there all along, "I tried to follow you in the car, but then I thought…" Here, she paused to hiccup. "… maybe I can't remember how to drive. I'd hate to find out how far amnesia extends while on the road, right?" 

In one hand she held the dress she had worn that evening, crumpled against her legs, while the other hand lovingly stroked the fabric. "If its not me who … who had an affair, then…" Another sniffle interrupted her monologue, louder this time. "It's you, I guess. Is that why you didn't want to tell me? I thought maybe I did something, but you said that wasn't it, so… Is that why your Father seems so surprised I would move back into the house?" 

Paralyzed, his legs didn't seem to want to cooperate, and he found himself staring at her from the doorway, aghast. Honestly! This was even worse than the last crazy scenario she had dreamed up earlier in the evening! Of course he wasn't cheating on her! What kind of a husband did she take him for? After learning how much it hurt first-hand, to discover Kagura was already married, he had vowed he would never do that to anyone else. And he hadn't even been _married_ to Kagura, for heaven's sake! Er… not that he was technically married to this woman either… 

But still! It was the principle of the thing. That particular kind of lie was too horrible to consider. 

"What did I do wrong?" she bawled, picking up the pace now that she had an audience. "I know you don't love me, but you could at least stay home in the evenings and love Rin a little bit, it's not her fault…" 

"No, you have completely misunderstood the situation," he interrupted, gently enough that he wouldn't disturb his daughter in the next room, but firmly enough that she would stop babbling. "I am not cheating on you with another woman."

"Working late nights…" she mumbled, obviously ignoring his protests. "And I don't even care who she is, it's not like I can remember being mad at you. So…" 

"No, no listen to me!" he growled. It was the perfect opportunity to come clean, and he took it. "We're not even married. I… I found you in Shanghai. You had virtually no memory of who you were, but the doctor there said you were supposed to get it back, when you saw familiar things and places. And so tomorrow…

"Tomorrow, you will get your memory back," he finished dismally, trying to ignore the pain this admission caused him, "Because Inuyasha will come and take you home."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: Anonymous Fangirl begged for smuttiness, so I had to increase the story rating. This chapter is dedicated to all my rather unconventional high school student fans. Rating has gone up from K+ to Mature Readers only, if anyone pays attention to these things. It's not as though my stories actually portray the reality of sex anyway…

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 8:**

"_Tomorrow… Inuyasha will come and take you home."_

Finally, the truth was out, but it did not make him feel any freer.

Sesshoumaru wondered suddenly, if Kikyou would remember her time here when her memories returned, or if she would simply forget everything that occurred during her trauma. That was assuming, of course, the doctor in Shanghai had been correct, and the woman would regain her memory upon seeing Inuyasha's face. What if the doctor had been wrong? But no… There was no point in continuing to pretend otherwise. The whole scheme had been a stupid mistake from the start.

His story had emerged rather haphazardly, since he had never bothered to prepare it, putting off his problems for the light of day, another time, a little later, yet at least his words managed to stop the flow of her ridiculous allegations. Blue eyes stared back at him in wonder, blinking rapidly as a few more tears trickled down her cheeks. Her hands stilled in her lap, still clutching the dress tightly.

"That…" she murmured, the beginnings of a frown marring her beautiful face. "That is the most ridiculous nonsense I've ever heard. Look, I understand… I'm not even mad. You can tell me the truth!"

"That is the truth!" he replied, mystified. The idea that she wouldn't believe him had never crossed his mind. Given the circumstances though, his explanation did lack merit – the truth was definitely stranger than fiction in this case. Ironically, he had been lying to her all along, but in order for her to believe him now, she would have to doubt his earlier veracity.

"I lied to you, because I wanted … because my half-brother, he…" Sesshoumaru ground out, bitterly hating himself at the moment for his petty vendetta against Inuyasha. Despite his earlier thoughts, he wasn't just a horrible liar, he was absolutely, indescribably, appallingly awful. And she was too trusting for her own good. "Because… Rin was lonely?" he finished plaintively.

"Then whose clothes are these?" she asked, shaking the dress in her hand and frowning at his continued insistence that they were not really married.

"They belonged to my mother…"

"Why would your mother's clothing be in _your_ house?"

"Because," he replied honestly, "She's dead." And for once, it didn't hurt at all to admit that. Totally focused on her reaction, his heart never even wavered.

Narrowing her eyes, she rose from the floor and glared at him for all she was worth. "Now I _know_ you are full of it! Your Father spent all evening talking about Izayoi…"

"No," he backpedaled, sensing he had lost control of the situation, "That's my step-mother."

In the semi-darkness of the room, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sesshoumaru thought she had never looked quite so lovely as she did then, lit from the side by the dim glow of the closet light. Any moment now, he knew, the truth would take hold and Kikyou would never forgive him. But at the moment, she seemed to be struggling to accept his words, and her doubtful, unsettled expression was much better than the alternative. Before long, she stumbled forward, over the pile of clothing and across the carpet, and reached out to touch his arm, dropping the dress she had crinkled in her grasp.

Unsure what to make of this, he backed away slightly, but stopped when she flinched at his chilly reception. Her hand fell to her side. "I forgive you," she resolved and looked up into his eyes, a hopeful, timid smile forming on her face. "There, no more lies. We can… make a fresh start?"

Clearly, he was not convincing enough. She still believed they were married, even after he had told her the truth. What could he do next to convince her? Perhaps Inuyasha's return was the only solution, after all. And what if the doctor _had_ been wrong, what if her memories never returned? Suddenly an image flashed through his mind, unwanted – he felt like a little boy asking his Father for a puppy… (_If I am very good, then can we keep it, please?_) But of course, that wasn't the situation here. He really had to stop thinking about it. This wasn't a real relationship; even if Kikyou never regained her memories, she would not be able to stay with him. Disgusted with himself for wanting such a thing, he turned his head and missed the hurt that gleamed in her eyes.

But Kagome had never been one to give up easily, and her determination came to the forefront yet again. While Sesshoumaru was looking away, she stepped forward bravely, closing the gap between them and slipping her arms around his waist. Instantly, she sensed his muscles tense beneath her fingers.

_It must be hard on him_, she thought abruptly,_ to know the whole truth_. As long as she did not have a single recollection of their marriage to work with, she could start from scratch and make of it what she would. Obviously, things weren't so easy for her husband, because he had memories to hold him back. Tipping her head back, she pushed herself onto her toes and lightly kissed the side of his cheek.

Then, smiling shyly, she inquired softly, "All right, say for a moment I did believe you. Why should that make any difference? It would simply mean that we really _were _making a fresh start, which is all I asked for anyway. Don't be mad."

"I'm not…" he muttered, bewildered and disconcerted by her easy acceptance of his words. Although he had not expected her to _doubt_ his story, he was even more shocked by the idea that she might forgive him so freely. Where was the upset anger? Tears or threats he could have understood, but not smiles. Unless, of course, she still did not believe him and she was merely speaking hypothetically.

The knowledge that she was leaving on the morrow began to work against him now. It had been more than four years since any woman had shown the slightest interest in him, and now he had one snuggled against his chest. Perhaps this was why he felt such warmth in his gut, unsettling yet enticing all at once. The fact that he had been alone for so long, coupled with the presence of a lady in his life again, even though she did not truly belong to him, was making him act strangely. Once she departed, maybe his brain would go back to normal, and his hormones would stop making his typically reliable behavior so erratic. After Kagura, he had vowed to do without a woman in his life. Such things only brought complications and trouble. Sesshoumaru had fully intended to raise his daughter alone and never waste time on a lady again. But at the moment, all he could think of was the way his cheek tingled where she had briefly pressed her lips against it, and the heat of her arms around his torso. It would not be wrong to hug her, would it? After Inuyasha came, he might never get the chance. The latter consideration crumbled his resolve, and Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

It was comforting to hug her, bringing him peace in a way that Kagura never had. She smelled slightly of peaches and warm sand, and something else, unidentifiable but still refreshing. The shampoo he used overlaid the scent of her hair, but it also brought a sense of familiarity to him, and he enjoyed this too. Then, she relaxed into his embrace, pressing more firmly against him, and Sesshoumaru caught his breath, feeling her chest against his through their clothing, and the sensation of her hips touching the evidence of his growing desire. Putting one foot behind himself for support, he shifted uneasily, trying to turn and ensure she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes it was embarrassing to be male; his body made it impossible to hide his burgeoning interest. But Kikyou made no mention of it, she merely hugged him tighter, so he relaxed once more. After all, he was only human. Surely, she understood that if nothing else.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and removed his arms, only to discover he was unable to step back because she refused to let go. Before he could unwind her steady grasp, she slid her chin upward along his chest and peered at him through slightly hooded eyes. The room was too dark to see their color, but her eyes still looked clear and beautiful as she whispered something into his chin.

It took him a while to process what she had said. First, he had to work through several other sudden insights. One, he realized that Kagura had never looked at him quite like that – with sweetness and patience and devotion, and something else he couldn't quite name… Two, he didn't understand himself as well as he thought. For an introspective man without many friends, and plenty of time to think about life, he had failed to do much reflecting, and he had been jealous of his brother for all the wrong reasons. Finally, he realized he was far too eager to make excuses for himself. For instance, the only thing that came to mind, as she gazed at him in such an adoring fashion, was how much he wanted to kiss her. And his mind was working overtime trying to figure out a plausible reason why he should do exactly that.

But then, her words sunk in and guilt gave him a sharp twinge in his stomach. _I love you_, she had said. Sesshoumaru did not deserve such words, nor did she really mean them. Shaking his head, he pulled her arms off his waist and held them at her sides. "No, you don't," he contradicted her.

At this, she appeared piqued. "Who are you to tell me what I feel?" she demanded.

"Just… don't say that," he answered gruffly, releasing her hands.

"Fine!" she announced firmly, reaching into his hair to pull him down for a kiss. He was so much taller than she was that the act became slightly difficult, and oddly enough, she had no idea how to go about it. Hadn't she done this before? Other activities, like walking, cooking or cleaning had come back to her easily enough.

The feeling of her lips shocked him, and the room's silence became oppressive as blood rushed through his ears. Her gesture seemed inexperienced or reserved, a light caress like a butterfly's wings brushing against his mouth, and fleetingly, Sesshoumaru wondered why this should be, before he dipped his head down and drew her in for a longer kiss. His hands found their way around her again, one sinking to her lower back, and one positioned behind her head, gingerly stroking her hair. Just a kiss, he reasoned. Besides, she had started it, and she'd remember that in the morning too, surely.

But his intentions scattered as she moaned into his mouth, accepting his ardor and fanning it to a new level. Snaking her fingertips between the buttons of his shirt, she started to undo the front of his outfit, as he grazed the rim of her ear with his teeth. Her breath ghosted over the delicate hollow behind his ear, making him shudder with delight. The sound of her respiring roughly into his ear, such an intimate caress, drove him wild, and he fought not to crush her against his chest in his haste to savor her. Carefully, he traced the salty trails down her cheeks and neck where her earlier tears had dried.

In the darkness, her hair drifted across his skin like a soft, sable fog, and his thoughts felt muddled, as hazy as the cloud of silky hair that currently held his attention. Kissing her again, he tilted his head to the other side this time, his hands switching places along her form, one hand running down her spine while the other one moved up to take its place at the back of her neck. She moaned again at the contact and he bit back one of his own, using the opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth instead, tasting her fully. It should be illegal for a lady to sound so tempting.

A frantic tug on his shirt reminded him of her earlier endeavors; she had undone every button on his top and his tie lay on the floor near the pile of his mother's apparel. He hadn't even noticed as she divested him of garments, being too focused on other matters. But now, with his shirt pushed off the shoulders, it was stuck in place until he lowered his arms.

Untangling the shirt from his limbs, he saw her face fall as she realized he had yet another layer of clothing beneath the first. Watching her pout was adorable, albeit a tad bit strange, since most men wore undershirts below dress shirts, didn't they? It wasn't that unusual.

Undaunted, she fisted the front of his shirt in one hand while she reclined on the bed, drawing Sesshoumaru with her. Agreeably, he yielded to her unspoken command and covered her body with his, propping himself up by the elbows as he inspected her face. She was absolutely beautiful, a light blush dusting her cheeks with color even in the darkness, and plump, savory, red lips that invited him to kiss her again and again. Light from the closet did not fall across the bed, but it allowed enough of an atmospheric glow by which he could see her adoring expression, and it unnerved him a little bit. _Okay_, he frowned in self-reproach, _now I'm probably taking this a little bit too far_.

But his body rebelled against the command to rise. Encircling him with her arms again, she squirmed beneath him, rubbing her hips against his in frustration, needing more contact. It was hard to think when she moved like that. In fact, it was hard to breathe. Sesshoumaru felt warm and heavy and extremely focused on the woman below him, as if every neuron in his brain could work toward only one purpose at this point. Although part of him knew he had to stop, the rest of him wouldn't listen. She smelled almost spicy now; a thick, compelling scent that held him in place and urged him to smother her in affection and touch every part of her body he could reach.

Smooth thighs rescued his brain from the arduous task of thinking, as she slid her knees upward, spreading her legs and stabilizing herself on the bed. He dragged himself upward over her prone figure, and then returned to the source of his distraction, kneading the backs and sides of her legs with both hands. Truly, they were glorious legs, not too firm or malleable, and like velvet to the touch. She arched her back and whined with pleasure, and this time, Sesshoumaru moaned with her as the heat of her core burned against him. His pants were too tight, they had to go. Throbbing, he felt so hard it almost hurt.

As he fumbled with his attire, she disrobed also, stripping the dress over her head and then blushing shyly once more, as if she was unsure what to do next. What came next was easy enough to predict however. Rolling them backwards on to the upper half of the bed, he placed one hand between her legs and caressed her through the fabric of her underwear, only to discover she was already moist and scalding to the touch. She instinctually clamped her knees together and moved against his hand, seeking friction her body craved. A shock went through her as the base of his middle finger found a sensitive spot there, and a sense of need gradually built between her legs, until without warning the electric feeling spilled over into the rest of her body, flaring through her stomach and across her back, even flooding her cheeks with warmth. Lost in her own cries, the next thing she knew was a heavy weight settled against her chest and between her thighs.

Relaxed and sedated by fulfillment, Kagome reached up and played with his hair, as Sesshoumaru stared back, glassy-eyed and somewhat startled by her affection. It felt like he was forgetting something, loosing a precious piece of his sanity. He had protection; making that mistake twice would be beyond stupid. Still, this had to stop.

Seeing his hesitation, she nudged him onward, kissing him again to show she was ready. With a shudder of anticipation, he pushed forward slowly, even as his conscience screamed at him to cease. Her flesh was slick and searing as it parted before him, and he gasped in rapturous agony. She was so close, so tight around him that it was hard to believe he could fit inside of her, until he had actually done so. At first, he moved aimlessly, until he found a rhythm that worked for both of them. But once she joined in, rocking her hips and straining to meet him, he could no longer hold back. His thrusts grew deeper and faster, until he felt her walls clamp down on him, and his climax hit him like a surging wave, quickly pulling back and leaving him empty within.

Oh, right. Now he remembered exactly why he wasn't supposed to sleep with her. Because Inuyasha would cut out his liver and feed it to rabid hamsters, as soon as he learned the truth.

Beneath him, she smiled and stretched out languidly, looking pleased with herself for enticing him to bed. Or perhaps she was happy that he had finally taken the initiative and 'forgiven' her for the non-existent transgressions in their imaginary relationship? It didn't really matter, of course, since he was going to die later today. His half-brother would never let this slide. Hell, he would be furious too, if he found out someone had done the same to him.

Somehow, he always managed to take a situation from bad to worse. It was his one true talent, he decided. All he had left now was a little time to pray – that she wouldn't get her memory back, or if she did, that she would forget him entirely. And that burned too.

Never straying from her side, like the dog that he was, Sesshoumaru watched her sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: One reader pointed out that Sesshoumaru is a bad boy going to hell. This is entirely possible. My goals for the previous chapter: (1) to follow along with the movie, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn supposedly sleep together during the plot, (2) to depict how people can do bad things in the name of 'love' and (3) to demonstrate that physical relations are almost always a mistake if you're not on the same page as your partner. Again though, I don't know much about it, being more hopeless case than hopeless romantic in real life. Take the fanfic with a grain of salt. : )

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 9:**

"Sir, Mr. Matsumoto on line two," buzzed his secretary from the other end of the line. Sesshoumaru ignored her and continued staring at the ceiling. It wasn't a particularly nice roof; it had fluorescent lights and tacky paneling, but he really didn't feel up to work today, and looking at the ceiling kept him awake. After failing to sleep a wink the night before (for obvious reasons), he had dragged himself to the office like he was walking to his own execution, and now he was waiting.

The Princeton web-dictionary had defined 'waiting' as "remaining inactive in one place while expecting something." A subsequent explanatory sentence said: "the wait was an ordeal for him." Sesshoumaru found he agreed. He was inactive, he fully expected horrible results, and doing nothing was extremely strenuous today, a test of his fortitude.

At first, he had been nervous. What could he possibly say to justify his behavior? What would Inuyasha do? A few hours later, he had completely ceased thinking and the anxiety had bled away, leaving him faint and exhausted.

His half-brother would return sometime this afternoon, and he had no idea how to explain himself. Of course, there was always the off-chance that Inuyasha wouldn't have noticed Kikyou's disappearance. That was what this entire ordeal was about, wasn't it? The fact that the boy had failed to notice the disappearance of his precious girlfriend in the middle of Shanghai while on vacation. Still somehow, Sesshoumaru did not believe the situation was likely to resolve so easily.

Thinking about what his half-brother, his family, society, or Kikyou would say did not help either – it only left him spinning his wheels, vacillating back and forth on the topic of his guilt. Most of all he just wanted to get this over with, and hand his 'wife' off to someone who could help her regain her memories, exactly what he should have done upon reaching Japan. Looking back, it was hard to fathom why he had tried so hard to keep her from learning the truth. The moment they returned home, he should have called his brother's cell phone and immediately returned the woman to her family. To do anything else was foolishness in the extreme!

Somehow though, every time he had considered this, he had put off the decision or rationalized it another way. Rather than restoring her to his half-brother, her family, or even the authorities, he had lied to himself and Father and tried to prevent her from leaving before it was absolutely necessary. In the end, Sesshoumaru was left with only one conclusion – he had wanted her to stay with him from the very first day. If he had not, then he would have felt no compulsion to keep her.

Could his problem run deeper than he thought? Earlier he had persuaded himself that this was an errand to annoy Inuyasha, an effort to teach his half-brother responsibility. Yet surely the best way to rub Inuyasha's nose in his shortcomings would have been to telephone the boy and taunt him about how easily he lost girlfriends, or some such thing. There were many other ways he could have handled the situation, yet he had purposefully deluded himself and taken her home.

In the past, the main reason Kikyou had annoyed him was because she dated Inuyasha. His half-brother had allowed her in the office, slacking off work to flirt with her. But maybe this was not the _sole_ reason Kikyou had displeased him. After all, the other girls Inuyasha dated never troubled Sesshoumaru like this one. Perhaps there had always been a little bit of jealousy over the woman, and not just his brother's actions. He minded being alone, while watching his worthless half-brother make out with someone worthwhile. Perhaps his epiphany last night had been a long time coming, and his feelings were nothing new, merely deeply denied.

Maybe… maybe he never really hated Kikyou at all. Even before his trip to Shanghai, Sesshoumaru had been willing to admit the woman was beautiful. And due to her amnesia, Kikyou's cool demeanor had disappeared, removing the only personality trait that he objected to and leaving behind a vibrant, warm individual. She had grinned at him and chatted sincerely with everyone she met, including the chauffeur… She had been good with Rin…

With a sigh, Sesshoumaru contemplated how pitiful he sounded, even to himself. What kind of an idiot did such things? He was supposed to be the smart one in the family. Apparently, he was just as prone to reckless behavior as the next person.

At long last, his wait ended. Through his closed office door, he heard his secretary protesting someone's entrance, and he signaled her to let his sibling enter the room, dread prickling at his senses. But when Inuyasha pushed open the door, the boy didn't even appear to be upset.

One brow raised, Inuyasha smiled darkly. "How's it going, brother dear?" the youth inquired with false cheer, in a snide tone.

Blinking sluggishly, Sesshoumaru realized getting some sleep the night before would have been beneficial – it might have helped his powers of persuasion a bit. At the moment, he hardly felt rational or coherent. For instance, his sleep-deprived brain had just informed him that Inuyasha was not angry, and this information was surely incorrect.

"Enough of that!" a shrill voice answered his brother, and a woman with dark hair pushed her way past the light haired boy, glaring angrily at Sesshoumaru for all she was worth. "Where is my cousin?" Kikyou demanded furiously, "Kagome isn't at the shrine, so she must still be with _you_."

_Shrine? What shrine? _his mind added unhelpfully. Then, inspecting the woman more closely, he recognized her. Brown eyes, long straight hair… It was definitely his brother's girlfriend Kikyou. _But Kikyou has blue eyes_, he thought desperately, holding onto a tiny piece of flotsam in a shifting sea of confusion. _Not that I ever really looked at her eyes, before… _

Heart racing, Sesshoumaru took a step backward, intimidated by the irate woman before him and severely wounded by a sudden burst of clarity. Bad enough, that he had kidnapped Kikyou from Shanghai, except now it seemed he had not done so at all. Somehow, he had grabbed the wrong woman. The wrong person! The female living in his home, playing with Rin, waiting for her friends and family to take her home, was not Kikyou by any stretch of the imagination.

Come to think of it, they didn't really look much alike. The woman in front of him had a caustic, cold expression, while his 'wife' had always been warm and eager to smile. One had slightly curlier hair, a nicer disposition, and blue eyes that shone like a bright, clear sky. One woman belonged to his brother, and the other…

"C-cousin?" he stammered, feeling all the blood drain away from his face, and hearing a ringing tone begin in his ears. His head felt lighter than air, and he stopped breathing entirely.

At the look on his older half-brother's face, Inuyasha broke out into laughter. The man of steel with a heart of ice, finally at a loss for words. Sesshoumaru appeared totally gobsmacked, and his half-brother was enjoying every second of it. It served the bastard right!

Kikyou whipped around and hit her boyfriend on the arm. "It's not funny, you idiot!" she protested strongly, "You said he would drop her off at the shrine, and I _believed_ you! But if Kagome had amnesia, then she didn't _remember _the shrine! You're such an idiot! I should never have listened to you!"

Neither of them noticed Sesshoumaru stumble, grasping the side of his desk like a lifeline in a storm.

* * *

Eventually the boisterous laughter and screaming drew Touga from his office and down the hall. The older man stared blankly for a while, never having seen anything quite like this. His eldest son looked ready to faint, and his youngest son was having some kind of hysterical seizure. The girl looked painfully familiar too.

"Hey! You look like…" Touga interjected and then stopped. Narrowing his focus on his youngest son, the old man growled, "Inuyasha, what did you do?"

This got the blond boy's attention fast. "Me?!" he complained, standing up straight and facing his Father, "Whaddya mean, I'm not the one screwing around with people's lives here!"

"You told me your brother had gotten married in Shanghai," Touga continued, growing more exasperated by the second. "Naturally I did not believe you, as Sesshoumaru is not given to impetuous actions such as that."

In the background, his eldest son remained as white as a sheet during this speech, nothing but air coming out as he tried to speak. When Touga made his last comment though, Sesshoumaru hung his head and avoided his Father's eyes. The outcome of this conversation did not bode well.

"Both of you, in my office now," Touga ordered firmly, adding to Kikyou in a sugary sweet tone, "Oh, and you too, my dear. Of course you're welcome to come."

* * *

Some days, it just paid not to wake up in the morning.

Touga closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. After listening to both sides of the story, he felt astounded by the stupidity of both his sons. Where did he go wrong?

Sesshoumaru had given Kikyou the keys to his house so she could retrieve her cousin. Once the incensed girl had left the office, Touga had turned on his errant boys with his mightiest glare. "Frankly, I'm appalled at both of you," he frowned. "I knew the two of you had differences. But I never expected you would take personal rivalry this far. You care enough about humiliating each other that you would risk injuring a young girl's life and sanity in the process?"

Thoroughly embarrassed, Inuyasha flushed and sank down in his chair. On the other side of the table, his elder half-brother remained a blank slate. Of course, Sesshoumaru had spent all last night and this morning mentally bemoaning the exact same issue, but he made a policy of never showing his emotions in public. A policy that was being seriously tested today.

"All right, here is what we're going to do," Touga announced at length, analyzing both his sons' expressions. Neither one seemed genuinely concerned for the poor girl who had been caught in their mad game of one-up-manship, although admittedly, his eldest son had always been hard to read. "First of all, you're both fired."

"What?!" Inuyasha replied, outraged. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes miserably. This seemed like the worst case scenario – but then, he deserved it after what he had done.

"You heard me," repeated their Father, "Fired! Your brother is right, Inuyasha – giving you this opportunity allowed you to grow lax in your studies, and you have accomplished nothing all year long. You flirt with secretaries and fritter away company money. This isn't a game – it is a chance to advance yourself and prove you are capable of responsibility, which, I might add, you have not shown. You're fired. If you want a job with this company, then you apply at the door just like everyone else, and you work your way up."

Next, swirling his chair to face his eldest son, Touga continued his tirade. "And as for you," the large man pointed and gestured angrily, "I can't even begin to say how ashamed I am of your behavior! It wasn't enough to get Kagura pregnant, become a single parent and ruin your potential, now you want to become a _criminal_ too?"

Wide eyed, Sesshoumaru intended to interrupt – he hadn't done anything _criminal_! He hadn't been completely honest, but surely he wasn't on par with a murderer or someone like that. But his Father cut him off before he began. For the last two days Touga had been working himself into a fury over his son's dubious behavior, and this gave him a chance to reveal his true feelings at last. "Not a word!" he shouted. "I don't care if your actions blur the line between what is legal and what is not; it doesn't matter if you could plea bargain your way out of trouble – what you did was wrong! I don't hire criminals, and I don't employ them. So you're fired too. If you want a job with this company, then you start over with your brother and prove you're worth my time."

At this, Sesshoumaru could feel his heart sinking in his chest, icy fingers creeping up his spine. All his work for the last four years, his perfect grades in college, all of it meant nothing. He'd thrown away his future in less than a week.

"If the girl presses charges, then you admit to _every single one_ of them, and pay your dues," Touga finished. "Afterward, regardless of what happens, you will write and hand-deliver to her a personal apology."

Sesshoumaru instantly felt like he was about ten-years old, being assigned lines by the teacher in his first and only detention. Father was right of course, and he knew it. But an apology wouldn't be enough – for he had failed to tell his Father the full story. The others still did not know about last night.

Last night…

Swallowing, he felt bile rising in the back of his throat. Gods, what if she got pregnant? He paled once again and laid his head on the oval-shaped table. Yes, he had used protection but even condoms had a failure rate. And the room had been dark, maybe he hadn't put it on correctly. Finding ever more things to worry about by the second, Sesshoumaru laid his head on the table and tried not to breathe.

Touga misinterpreted his eldest son's gesture, and excusing Inuyasha, he turned to face his eldest son one last time. "I know you probably think I am being unfair," he scowled unhappily, "But I can't risk having a scandal linked to this company."

Sesshoumaru nodded weakly, his pale hair falling forward onto the table, covering his cheeks. Still, he refused to meet his Father's eyes or sit up in the chair. What did it matter in the end anyway? He didn't need this job; he had money. Those dreams of saving up capital to start a company someday were probably just unrealistic.

By now, Touga began to detect something seriously wrong with his son. The boy never laid down his head in defeat. It was out of character; Sesshoumaru never quit before speaking his mind. The silence was unnerving.

Trying to reassure his son yet unwilling to relent, Touga explained his position as best he could. "It's not that I don't see it when Inuyasha makes mistakes," he said, pleading with his son. "I know he does. But when your brother makes mistakes they are tiny. When you make mistakes, they're _huge_. They are life-changing errors that affect everyone around you. You understand me?"

Finally, Sesshoumaru drew himself up and stared out the window. This would probably be the last time he'd see the view from the top floor of their office building, after all. He nodded curtly. Of course, he understood. Touga had to protect his investments. It was just business.

For second time in his life, he realized what his Father thought of him was not the problem. Right now, the knowledge that he had hurt an innocent girl tormented him far worse than anything the old man could say. Her name was Kagome. Ka-go-me. Not Kikyou. When she arrived at her family's shrine, she would recover her past, but all he could hope was she blissfully forgot the last few days in the process.

And how was he supposed to look his little girl in the eye after this, knowing what a horrible person he was? Rin was sweet and innocent. She deserved a better father.

"May I be excused?" he asked dryly, in a deadened tone. With his Father's permission, he pushed back his chair and bowed low before leaving the room. The motions were mechanical. Movement was only possible because he had done it so many times in the past that it had become automatic.

What would she say, when he spoke the truth?

It was difficult to imagine what she would think of him now. Planning to apologize and doing so effectively were two very different things. A case of mistaken identity like this could be explained, but not easily forgiven. The girl with vivacious blue eyes and cute dimples when she smiled, a woman with such a friendly demeanor, who had been kind to Rin and himself – she was going to hate him.

He should have told her the truth last night, or better yet, a few days earlier. Perhaps he could have left her in Shanghai. The officers there had been kind and understanding, and it hadn't hurt her to sit in a foreign police station, waiting for her cousin to rescue her.

He wished he could go back and do it all again, the right way this time.

But it was too late, and life had moved on without him, while he fooled himself into believing everything was all right. After a pitiful and probably futile apology, he would never see her again. Alone with Rin, his life would go on.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine. 

Author's Note: One reader pointed out that Sesshoumaru's attraction to 'Kikyou' last chapter seemed too sudden. He walked upstairs and suddenly realized he was jealous of his little brother for not appreciating such a fabulous woman. Hopefully the last chapter undermines that abruptness – Sesshoumaru was lying to himself from the start. 

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 10:**

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She looked up from their activity – coloring papers with crayons on the coffeetable – and then winked at Rin. Sesshoumaru had promised to come home early today. Perhaps this was him now. With Rin dogging her footsteps, she opened the front door. 

But the woman beyond the threshold was not Sesshoumaru. Instead, there stood a lanky, pretty woman, with concerned, brown eyes and pursed lips. She was holding her handbag tightly, and her long straight hair fell neatly about her shoulders. For a moment, a spark of jealousy flashed through Kagome's mind, and she took one startled step backward into the living room, wondering why she would feel that way. 

It was like looking into a mirror, only not quite. Panic rose within her, trying to choke off her air, and her heart raced, but still she could not imagine why she felt this way. Why, there was nothing frightening about this lady! Instinctively, she knew the woman was older than she, wiser too, and if anything they were friends. 

Yes, friends. Even more than friends. This woman was afraid of spiders and good with children. When they were younger, both girls had run through a field of leaves, laughing, while her grandfather waved a rake in mock anger, shouting at them for ruining the piles. Souta had once admitted that Kikyou was pretty cool, but he had promised he liked his sister better. A little boy's laughter tinkled in her ears, as she tried to process all the information and imagery pouring before her eyes. Souta's sister…

She had a brother, a grandfather, a mother, an aunt and uncle, and a cousin. In high school, she had been sick often, but she never, _ever_ had a bad back. Her first boyfriend Hojo had been sweet and caring, their physical relationship had been awkward and painful, and the affair had petered out after several months. Afterward, she had wondered if sex was awfully overrated in movies and books, but she knew better now because of Sesshoumaru.

Her husband, Sesshoumaru. He had the same last name as Inuyasha. They were brothers. She remembered this much. Once not long ago (although it felt like ages), she had wanted Inuyasha to like her. Handsome, casually confident, only occasionally brusque, he seemed like a perfect boyfriend when he was with her cousin. But the way she had felt about his brother was different, somehow. 

Gods, what was happening? A moment ago, her past had been fuzzy and indistinct, but upon seeing this woman's face, suddenly everything had come clear. It wasn't as though she suddenly remembered that which she had forgotten; instead, it was as though her memories had always been there, and a veil had been lifted away, allowing the obscure to become visible again. Pieces of the puzzle slid into place, as she recalled who she was, where she came from, and how exactly she came to be stranded on that dock in Shanghai. 

Still, there was one glaring omission in her mind. 

Why? Why had this happened to her?

It made no sense. For the last three days, he had called her Kikyou. But the woman standing before her was Kikyou; she recognized her life-long companion on sight. All of this settled weightily on her mind, shutting off her thought processes, and she stared vacantly back at her cousin, wondering what to do next. 

Her first thought was, _I should call him at the office, he'll be glad to know that I have my memories back…_

After a few seconds though, the beautiful, brown-eyed, utterly familiar stranger burst into tears on her doorstep. "Kagome!" sobbed the lady, overcome with relief. The emotional wear-and-tear of the last few days was finally catching up to her. "You're all right!"

"K-kikyou?" she murmured, lifting one hand to brush away her cousin's dark hair. Confused by this new development, Rin stood behind them in the doorway, watching, waiting. 

"You remember? Do you remember me?" sniffled the other lady, blearily wiping her eyes and smiling gently. "I can't believe he… Are you all right? Nothing bad happened to you, right? Tell me everything!"

"I…" Kagome replied timidly. "I think I need to sit down." 

Taking Rin's hand by habit, she closed the front door and ushered the three of them into the living room, before she realized what she was doing. She was trying to comfort Rin, touching her hand to reassure the four-year old that everything was going to be all right. This was not her daughter. She had never even heard of this little girl before the beginning of the week. 

Despite knowing the truth, she also recalled the happy days she had spent with Rin. The way she felt about the child was real, almost more so than the reality of her own name. Rin was such a sweet child; she wasn't difficult to love. Even meeting Rin as Kagome, she knew she would have felt the same way about the bright little girl. No, forgetting about her would be much more difficult than caring for her in the first place. 

Now, she knew too much. She knew Rin liked stuffed dogs more than other animals, hated studying, and often missed her father when he went to work. She knew Rin's favorite food and the way her eyes twinkled when she was about to get into mischief. 

Releasing Rin's hand as though it burned to touch the girl, Kagome stared at her one-time daughter in dismay. And being the intelligent girl she was, Rin immediately picked up on this not-so-subtle signal that something was wrong. "Mommy?" she inquired cautiously, awaiting a sensible explanation from the adults around her. 

A speechless pause was soon broken by Kikyou's scandalized exclamation, "She's not your mother! Oh, I ought to kill that… Kagome, what did he tell you?" 

It was all too much to handle. Coloring project forgotten on the coffeetable, Rin started to cry, and Kagome realized there was a time for truth and a time for lies. This was definitely the latter. 

"Calm down, Kikyou," she replied sternly, silently marveling at how much she had changed in the last few days. Before losing her memory, she would never have been able to stand up to her cousin like this. Going on a cruise to Shanghai was only the most recent example of falling prey to her cousin's well-meant machinations. "There's no need to yell at her."

Gathering the four-year old to her side, she pet the girl's fluffy hair and reassured her that everything was going to be fine, interspersing her promises with an explanation Rin might be able to understand. "Your Father will be able to explain this much better than me," she improvised, "But he knew how tired you were of your nanny, so he arranged for me to look after you for a few days. We had a lot of fun, didn't we?" 

Rin nodded, peering up at her surrogate mother through long lashes. Kagome recalled the way the girl had cried for her not to leave, when her grandfather had visited earlier, and she based the rest of her answer around the suspicions this event raised. "Now, you know I'm not really your Mommy, don't you?" she asked gently. 

Rin nodded again, clearing up this little bit of misinformation at long last. "When your Grandfather came to the house before, you worried I was going to leave. I promise I'm not going to do that. I might go away for a while, but if you don't mind, I would like to come back and visit you sometimes. Is that okay?"

Now that the situation was looking brighter from Rin's standpoint, the four-year old raised her head, noticeably calmer than she had been. Kikyou merely gaped at them, feeling out of her depth. It sounded like her cousin had just agreed to come back to this dreadful house in the future, all for the sake of a kid she did not know. 

"Great!" Kagome finished enthusiastically. "Of course, we'll have to ask your Dad for permission too." 

With a satisfied nod, the issue was settled, and Kagome instructed Rin to play upstairs while she talked to her cousin.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 

It took about thirty more minutes for Kikyou to relay everything she had heard in the boardroom and her experiences in Shanghai to Kagome. The blue-eyed shrine maiden accepted everything in stride, and she did not say much, even when Kikyou asked why she had left the group in the first place. 

Sitting in the middle of Sesshoumaru's living room, sunlight streaming through the windows, it didn't seem the time or place to reveal her age-old crush on Inuyasha to her cousin. In fact, with the way she was feeling right now, it might never be the right time. What did it matter anyway, why she ran out on her friends in the middle of the night? That was then; this was now. She began to suspect she might be in shock, from recovering all her memories at once. 

"I don't know," she replied when Kikyou asked after her health for the third time. "My head feels all woozy. Swimmy." 

"I'm sorry, Kagome. This must be awful for you," sympathized the brown-eyed Higurashi cousin. "I feel so guilty, I should have flown back to find you immediately. I'm so mad at Inuyasha right now." 

When yet another protracted silence met her in reply, Kikyou shifted uncomfortably. "I made an appointment with the doctor on the way over here," she urged, "We should head over there as soon as possible, you might have a concussion, or…"

"It's fine," Kagome shook her head. Then, she laughed weakly, trying to put a positive spin on the drama that was her life. "At least I'll have an interesting story to inspire me in my creative writing class." 

The truth was she wanted to leave. Running away sounded like a very appealing option at the moment. But she had to wait for Sesshoumaru, because if she didn't hear the words from him, then she might never understand what had happened. She should not even ask him why; he knew he owed her an explanation. If not, then he was far more of a callous asshole than she took him to be. When he returned to the house (his house, Kagome reminded herself firmly), she would simply wait for an answer. 

The portrait Kikyou had painted was bleak. Sesshoumaru, power crazy and determined to show his brother who was best, abducted his brother's girlfriend under false pretenses and refused to let her return to her normal life. Still, Kagome felt sure there had to be something more to it. 

If Sesshoumaru wanted to torture his brother, there were a hundred other ways to do so. At college, she constantly heard about this or that vexation Inuyasha had with his elder sibling. Why would Sesshoumaru take interest in Kikyou, in particular? There had to be a missing piece to the puzzle. 

"Ne, Kikyou?" she murmured doubtfully. "You met him before, didn't you?"

The question startled her cousin out of her anxious, hand wringing state. "Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou clarified. "Yes, we saw each other at the office all the time. Are you remembering more now?"

"I told you already, I remembered when I saw a familiar face," replied Kagome with mild exasperation. "Just like the psychologist said I would." 

The two of them had known each other. They had seen one another all the time, before the cruise. And when the opportunity arose to prank both his half-brother and Kikyou at the same time, Sesshoumaru had grabbed it. 

Although this made the story black and white in her cousin's eyes, it confused the issue for Kagome. According to Kikyou, the aspiring businessman hated her boyfriend and desired to make his life miserable. Kagome had been an unfortunate side-show, a victim of his heartless insensitivity and selfishness. But there were always two sides to one coin. Or as another adage told, the distance between love and hate in a human heart was only as thick as rice paper. 

Sesshoumaru didn't hate his father. She might not know him as well as she had thought, but she had seen him interact with Touga. In retrospect, using actual memories to color her perception, she suspected he had been desperate to garner his Father's approval at dinner that night. Not once had he lied to the man outright, although it would have made the situation easier. He worked insane hours, trying to win his Father's favor. He had saved all his Mother's clothing, when Touga had tried to trash the memories of his first marriage, the family to which Sesshoumaru had belonged. 

And as for Inuyasha, Kagome suspected the animosity was overblown in that arena too. If memory served correctly, Sesshoumaru had assisted his half-brother out of a number of sordid situations in the past. Not precisely the actions of a despicable villain, since acquiring 'blackmail' to hold over his half-brother's head also required actually using aforesaid information in a negative fashion, which he had never done. 

"Ne, Kikyou?" Kagome began again. "Do you think Souta will do my chores for another week at the shrine? When I get home, I want to take long nap."

"Of course!" Kikyou guaranteed. "We'll both help." Sitting down next to Kagome on the couch, Kikyou reached out to hug her cousin, then refrained at the last minute. It seemed like Kagome was contemplating something very seriously, and she did not want to break her concentration. Mostly, she just wanted to leave this house and return to the shrine. Kagome would surely recover once surrounded by her friends and family.

Finally, a car parked in the driveway and both girls stood. Standing in front of her cousin protectively, Kikyou tried one last time to take control of the situation. "Are you sure you want to do this right now? You don't have to talk to him…" 

But where the old Kagome might have been convinced, this one had to confront her problems, now or never. Like Sesshoumaru, she hadn't been entirely honest with her family member about last night's events. It was yet another reason why she did not want to accept Kikyou's harsh justification of the circumstances. Sesshoumaru was more than black and white. He didn't really seem to hate his Father or Inuyasha. And last night, he had not seemed to hate 'Kikyou' either. 

Facing the front door, Kagome felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she wondered which answer she was waiting for with such anticipation. Either way, she would surely be disappointed. 

If Sesshoumaru admitted to being the bastard everyone thought he was, then he was simply a spiteful jerk, taking an unconscionable form of revenge on the half-brother he hated. And if he didn't hate Inuyasha, then this was all about Kikyou. He either hated her (see aforementioned unconscionable revenge) or he loved her, much like she had once desired the unobtainable Inuyasha. 

Kagome was tired of everything in her life being about Kikyou. 

Still, this predicament was partly her fault. He had told her the truth, and she had refused to listen. Assuming he was merely being stubborn, she had seduced him – another thing the old Kagome would not have been capable of doing. Thus, whatever his motivations, good or bad, she could not blame him fully for last night. Primarily, but not fully. Knowing the truth, he should never have followed through, but she had started it.

All of this left her no closer to understanding Sesshoumaru, although it did give insight into her own character. About to forgive someone who could do nothing except bring her pain, and already missing the daughter she had never had, Kagome decided that she was officially too soft-hearted. No matter what his answer, he was a villain or he was in love with someone else, and she was going to be unhappy.

He stepped through the door quietly, and she noticed he had no briefcase or tie. Slouching, he appeared tired, bone-weary. Platinum blond hair shaded his face, and obviously, he could tell they were standing in the living room, because he did his best to glue his gaze to the tiles in the hallway rather than meet her eyes. 

But neither lady was about to end the awkward silence. Kikyou felt too angry with him and Kagome was determined to allow him to make excuses. Since he could not make amends, excuses were the least he could do. 

"I'm sorry," he began without preamble. Then, clearly realizing how inadequate that sounded, he quickly added, "For taking you from Shanghai, and telling everyone you were… you know…"

Trailing off, as his apology moved from insufficient to ridiculous, he took a deep breath and finally met her gaze. "I am a terrible person," he tried again, rolling the words around on his tongue as though he was trying them on for size. "What do you want me to say?" 

"Do you love her?" Kagome asked softly, accusingly. It was a woman's prerogative to ask unanswerable questions. She wondered which one of them she hurt more by asking, yet it had to be said. 

Through the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin stirring restlessly. Confused by the conversation, Kikyou moved to intervene, but Kagome frowned and motioned for her to stay out of it. Kikyou would demand a defense, a reason, but she did not want pointless apologies, only an excuse. Please, let there be an excuse.

"Her?" Sesshoumaru repeated, flustered by this sudden turn. His eyes flickered toward Kikyou and then away, and he looked so hopeless that she knew she had her answer. If he cared so little, then he would act like it. This was not the indifferent, unfeeling half-brother that Inuyasha complained about so often. "No," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Then I hate you," she snapped. And those words were not completely true either, but they also had to be said. It was the only correct response at this point. Maybe someday she could make it true. At the moment, she was probably too close to the situation. Once she readjusted to real life, her feelings would settle down and everything would be normal again. "Rin wants to visit me sometimes, so if that is okay with you, then you can get in touch with me later. I'm ready to go home now, Kikyou."

Staying silent and still, Sesshoumaru watched as she walked through the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 

A/N: I can't write angst. It's very unfortunate. I keep typing "and they all lived happily ever after" instead of "they were all so achingly hopeless and sad that their personal problems overcame their common sense." 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Neither the characters from the storyline 'Inuyasha' by Rumiko Takahashi, nor the plotline from the movie 'Overboard' starring Goldie Hawn, are mine.

Author's Note: Painted myself into a corner with the last chapter. Had to learn to climb walls to move on with the story.

**Overboard (Inuyasha-style)**

**Chapter 11: **

She had broken her promise to Rin.

Technically, she had only pledged to visit the little girl if Rin's father gave permission first. Yet Kagome knew full well how the mind of a four-year old would operate. Rin would never understand that Kagome was too embarrassed to commit to a social call, and that her Father was too proud to make one.

The last time they had spoken, Kagome had deferred to Sesshoumaru's judgment on the matter, allowing him to decide where and when Rin could visit. But the insufferable, deplorably handsome man had never contacted her to set up a play-date with his daughter, and somehow her arrangement with the four-year old had fallen through, just like her plans to reconcile with him. They remained at an impasse.

It bothered her immensely, and she found herself thinking about the odd pair at random moments of the day, hoping that Rin did not feel too betrayed. When Kagome's father had abandoned the Higurashi family, she had been six, but she still remembered her broken-heart. Somehow, she doubted that Rin would take such a disappearance well either. On the other hand, surely Rin could not miss her as much as a _real _parent – they had known each other for less than five days!

No closer to reaching a solution on this dilemma, Kagome shook her head, trying to avoid thinking in circles. One way or another, she had to see Rin again. She owed it to the little girl, and besides, she had been counting on her ability to visit Rin to help her see Sesshoumaru too. Deliberately leaving that avenue open, she had assumed it would be easier for the man to get in touch with her for the sake of his daughter, than for the sake of an apology. But summer break was almost over and she had heard no word from the light-haired businessman. Perhaps her final words to him had simply been too harsh.

Clenching her jaw, Kagome returned to sweeping the shrine steps with renewed vigor. Yes, it was difficult to wait for him to call. But that did not mean she would be the first to surrender. Her words had been callous, but then again, the situation had demanded it. She had been duped, taken in, lied to, treated like a house-sitter and a nanny, and he had toyed with her affections, all while thinking she was… that she was… someone _else_. It hurt to be compared to Kikyou, especially in that respect.

Upon regaining her memories, she had been showered with a bitter collection of snippets from her past. Before, she had spent far too much time obsessing over her similarities to Kikyou, wondering why Inuyasha admired one cousin and not the other. Then, she had seen her situation mirrored in another person's eyes. Suddenly remembering how to feel self-conscious and conflicted, she had recoiled at the thought of being unloved, at taking second-stage to Kikyou yet again. There was no way she could pardon him for such a blatant abuse of her affections without even a reprimand.

It would have been ludicrous to jump into his arms and forgive him right that second. Besides, Kikyou had been standing right behind her, judging her every move, and Kagome had been fully conscious of how bizarre her behavior would look to the rest of the world. If she had seemed too sympathetic toward Sesshoumaru, then it might have given away their relationship.

Not that they had one, really.

What would Sesshoumaru call the night they had spent together – a shameful transgression? Perhaps, a blissful fling? What? It had not been an accident, that much was certain. The instant he had found an opportunity to be with Kikyou, he had eagerly taken it.

But that was not right either. He had tried to tell her the truth, and she had refused to listen. With a sigh, Kagome stopped sweeping once more, hanging her head.

Wandering this well-beaten mental path over and over did not bring her any resolution, but Kagome could not let it go. Kindness was in her nature. In the end, she did not hate Sesshoumaru. Part of her cared about him, even today. Her words had seemed like the only appropriate response at the time, but they bothered her now, and she worried daily about how she should apologize for saying such a thing, without appearing to forgive him, unless he apologized first. The whole predicament was such a mucked up mess that it made her head hurt. How was she supposed to go about forgiving him, if he stubbornly refused to call? Perhaps she had gone too far, and she would have to apologize first.

At this, indignation bubbled up inside of her again. "Apologize?" grumbled Kagome, "Why do I have to apologize to _him_?"

Swishing the reed broom across paving stones half-heartedly, she realized she had been mindlessly sweeping the same spot for several minutes. A scowl overcame her normally cheerful features, and she stomped one foot in frustration, before deciding the shrine did not need her assistance any longer that day. Obviously, she wasn't doing much good outside anyway.

The sound of a footfall on the stairs behind her drew her attention, and she swerved, broom in hand, to see who it was walking toward the shrine. Even from a distance, however, the person did not have pale hair, or a confident stride, and Kagome bit her lip, trying to swallow her foolish disappointment. Of course, that was not Sesshoumaru. Honestly, after several weeks, she should have stopped watching for him so closely.

And therein lay the problem. She didn't hate Sesshoumaru at all. If anything, the sinking feeling of disappointment in her gut warned that she cared for him altogether too much.

If she didn't get over him soon, she was going to develop a Kikyou complex. All the guys she had ever liked (all two of them) had wanted her cousin instead. Where had she gone wrong? Why couldn't Sesshoumaru like her instead?

Stashing the broom in the supply closet, she strolled into the foyer and sat down to remove her shoes before going indoors. Voices from the living room trickled toward her, and she stiffened, sitting up straight on the wooden planks spanning the floor of the house. Soon, she was sure of it – whoever was speaking in the other room had just mentioned Sesshoumaru! After all, he had a very distinctive, recognizable name.

With a deep breath, Kagome crawled to the door to listen. If the others noticed her presence, then they would stop talking. Her family had been tiptoeing around the cruise-ship incident all summer long.

At first, Kikyou had angrily encouraged her cousin to press charges, but Kagome did not want to and said so, repeatedly. Then, her grandfather had announced quite loudly that he would punish the demon that hurt his family. Unfortunately, he had meant 'demon' in a very literal fashion; it had to be explained to the senile old man that Sesshoumaru was not evil incarnate, and demons did not exist. Her grandfather never listened to such arguments, of course, but it had done the rest of her family a world of good to defend Sesshoumaru's behavior. Afterward, the rest of them had listened to her and respected her decision.

Still, this did not mean they approved. Her mother honored her wishes with a concerned glance, and although she had not discussed her emotions with anyone, Kagome thought at least one person might suspect the real problem. Sealing herself away from her family's curiosity and their overly cautious treatment of her feelings, Kagome had spent a lot of time outdoors, doing chores and basking in the sunlight. Too much sympathy, she decided, was worse than not enough, but surely once school started everything would go back to the way it was.

Now, she was regretting her choice – she wanted to know what they were saying about Sesshoumaru! If she had behaved normally all along, then perhaps her family members would have seen fit to include her in important discussions like this one.

Her cousin had made up with Inuyasha after a month of fighting – or rather, weeks of begging on Inuyasha's part and disapproving stares from Kikyou. Ultimately though, he once again became a fixture at Kikyou's apartment and often came by the Higurashi shrine, eating them out of house and home. At the moment, the two of them were bickering on the couch in what passed for a subdued tone. Even when he restrained himself though, Inuyasha alerted most people in the vicinity to his thoughts and feelings whenever he spoke. Pressing her ear to the other side of the screen door, Kagome could tell precisely what he said, because his voice naturally carried well.

"What, still? No way!" Kikyou exclaimed. "That man can certainly hold a grudge."

Unexpectedly, Inuyasha had some doubts. "Well, I don't know if that is it," replied the boy hesitantly, "It's like he's … I dunno. He's different. Won't talk, even to insult me."

"And that's a _bad _thing?" inquired Kikyou, mocking astonishment lacing her tone.

Kagome could almost hear the frown in his voice. "It is," declared Inuyasha, "If it means he's going to be all _weird_. Dad asked me to talk to him, but he refuses to come back to the company. Wouldn't even give me his new number."

_New number?_ Kagome thought rather desperately. A new phone number implied a new address. And if Sesshoumaru moved, how was she ever to fulfill their… her bargain with Rin? She stood up quietly, about to charge into the room and demand confirmation, but just then, Kikyou echoed her question in different words from within the room.

"Yea," he answered, "He plans to sell the house and all his cars, and he says he'll move into a small apartment somewhere close to Rin's school. See what I mean? Weird!"

Before Kikyou could do more than nod in agreement, Kagome had slid the door open abruptly. Trying to feign surprise, so that the couple did not know she had been spying on them, the blue-eyed college student gaped at Inuyasha and laughed. "Oh! Inuyasha! I didn't know you were here!" she tittered. "Hey, sorry to bother you two, but I need to know if I can borrow your car for the afternoon, Kikyou?"

Judging by the blank expressions she received, she was uncertain how well she had pulled off her little deception. But that didn't really matter one way or another. The most important thing was getting to Sesshoumaru's house before he moved out; his half-brother had implied the sale was not finalized yet. Perhaps there was still time to visit, before she lost his address and had to actually _ask _someone for the information, thereby proving how much she wanted to see him. Focused on her task, Kagome failed to think about how completely ridiculous her logic sounded, even to her own mind.

Her brown-eyed cousin merely nodded and rose to rummage around for the carkeys in her purse. "Do you want me to drive you somewhere?" asked the elder cousin.

"Oh no!" Kagome exclaimed, "I just have some errands to run, before school starts, and it might take all afternoon, you see."

Raising one brow, Kikyou mildly held out the keys. The excuse sounded slightly forced, but then, Kagome rarely asked for any favors. Everyone deserved assistance from time to time, no questions asked.

With a broad smile, Kagome grabbed the keys and went to gather her things, bidding them both good day.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sure enough, there was a moving sign at his old house. Kagome got a tad bit lost on the way there, but eventually recognized a few of the landmarks she had seen on her drive home once before. Parking the car at the curb, she knocked on his door, but received no answer. It seemed like no one was home.

So, having always been the reasonably stubborn and impulsive type in both her affections and activities, Kagome decided to sit down and wait. Depositing herself on his doorstep, hours passed, and her stomach began to rumble as she wondered where in the world Rin and Sesshoumaru had escaped to. Hopefully, they were coming back tonight. Inuyasha had said that his brother was planning to move, not that he already had done so.

Finally, as evening light settled over this street of peaceful houses in an upper-middle class neighborhood, she saw a car pull up into the driveway. It was not the same car she had seen before; it was plain white, more economical. Already, from within the front seat of the car, Rin was pointing at her and speaking rapidly to her father.

Although she could not discern his expression on the opposite side of the vehicle, Sesshoumaru nodded, so as soon as the engine turned off, the little girl tumbled out of the car and across the lawn toward Kagome.

But this warm reception on the part of the four-year old simply made Kagome feel guilty. Rin had obviously not forgotten about her, and seemed glad to see one of her old playmates. A remorseful sensation clenched at her, and she forgot for a moment why she had taken so long to stop by their home.

"Hello," Rin waved, "We're moving!"

Apparently, Rin had decided this was the pinnacle of excitement. Kagome smiled and agreed with the little girl's assessment. "Is your room all empty looking?" she asked curiously, wondering how close to finished the packing must already be.

With a lively nod that caused her fluffy ponytail to bounce merrily atop her head, Rin offered to show her the state of the inside of the house. Not so unexpectedly, her father stopped them. Stepping carefully around Kagome to open the front door, he ushered his daughter inside, instructing her to pick up some more of her toys and place them in the back of the car.

Both adults recognized this for the busywork it was meant to be. But neither of them seemed to know what came next. He stared at her from the doorway, a slight frown marring his otherwise starkly handsome face, as he fished around for a proper way to begin the conversation.

"Why are you moving?" Kagome volunteered, after a while.

"I don't have enough money to keep the house," explained Sesshoumaru rather abruptly and awkwardly. Then, as if remembering his manners, he motioned that she should follow him indoors and have a seat. "Or rather – I would not within the year, if things remain as they are. By selling, that money can now be put toward other things."

So surprised was Kagome by this revelation, the barren interior of the house never even phased her. She entirely forgot to glance around at her surroundings, opting to stare dumbly at Sesshoumaru's retreating back instead. He observed her discreetly, as she plopped down on the sofa – which was still waiting for the movers to take it away, like the rest of the large furniture.

"I never really expected _you_ of all people to be in financial troubles."

A wry smile was her only reply. He perched uncomfortably on the edge of the couch, and she grimaced internally. Refusing to sit beside her, acting like she had cooties, that was not making this any easier on either one of them. Maybe, if she scooted to one corner of the seat, rather than sitting directly in the middle, he would join her on the sofa.

"There is no trouble, per se. I have savings, I simply choose not to eat through them. It is difficult to know how long I will be without work," he said, as she shifted into a new position.

Rin came barreling down the stairs, distracting her from the subject, and by the time the little girl had slid out the front door, Kagome looked back only to realize Sesshoumaru had taken a seat on the other half of the couch after all. She felt inordinately pleased with herself, but tried not to show it.

"Inuyasha said he was offered a position at your Dad's company. Um… weren't you?" pondered Kagome, hoping this was true, otherwise it would just bring up a painful issue for no reason.

"Yes," he replied flatly. Nothing further was offered though, and Rin returned through the door, forgetting to close it as she clambered upstairs once more.

Silently, he rose to shut the front door, and the sensation that Kagome was pulling hen's teeth overcame her. What was one supposed to say in a situation like this? Was this as agonizing for him as for her?

"So, you're not going to take the position?"

Without looking back at her, from the front hallway, his voice drifted toward her softly, so softly that she wondered whether she was meant to hear it or not. "I wouldn't work for that man for all the money in the world," he intoned darkly.

It seemed beyond what Sesshoumaru would normally say – out of character, almost. Earlier he had seemed so devoted to working hard and pleasing his father. Maybe, it had been very traumatic to be fired. She chewed on the tale she had overheard from Inuyasha about his Father's choice of punishment for both his sons. It was no good. She had to ask. "Why?"

With a quiet sigh, he regained his spot on the couch and gazed absently at the empty spaces on the walls where picture frames had been removed. But if anyone deserved an explanation of his actions, she did. So he continued. "When I was young, I believed that hard work and good grades were all it took to get ahead in this world. I thought that others would see my commitment, and this was why I had been offered a position in Touga's enterprise."

Catching his drift, she murmured, "But then, Inuyasha…"

"After you… this…" swallowed Sesshoumaru thickly, avoiding her eyes, hastily reordering his statement, "_Afterward_ – it quickly became clear that such credentials mean nothing. To the rest of the world, working for one's parents directly after leaving the university simply means a person has no real talent or skill."

"That's not true!" Kagome protested, her sense of justice flaring up at the mere thought of it. "You just haven't been looking very long. Finding the right job takes time, more than a month."

Golden-hazel-eyes stared at her suspiciously. The objection had been so warm and encouraging it made him wonder what she meant by it. Only Rin ever seemed to have so much faith in his abilities. Like the opinion of his four-year old, however, the words of the lovely lady at his side were not based on very many facts. How would she know anything about it? Employers did not hire because of blind faith; they wanted results.

"Of course," he agreed blandly. "It will likely take a very long time indeed. I have no references, and I was fired from my previous position. Even if I should somehow pass a first round of interviews by failing to mention this trivial little detail, there will never be a return phone call. It merely startled me to learn I cannot obtain a first interview."

Discouragement gripped her, as she heard Sesshoumaru relay this without any passion at all. It was as though he had already resigned himself to the facts. "Why don't you ask your Father for a reference?"

"Because he refuses to give one."

"What?!" came her scandalized squeak. "Why would he do that?"

"Hn," he snorted, amused by her outrage. "Why would he, indeed? My Father intends for me to return. It has taken three people to fill the position I left."

Well, there was a gratifying silver-lining at least, Kagome noted grumpily. Really though, it was hard for her to believe Touga's affrontery. The old man definitely had something coming to him. She began thinking of ways to encourage Sesshoumaru's Father to give him a recommendation. For instance, it was already clear that visiting his granddaughter could be used as leverage…

"But that isn't what I really want to talk to you about," the young man said beside her, interrupting her plans and schemes. "…Kagome…"

Shivering slightly at hearing her name roll off his tongue for the first time, she settled down immediately. The darkness of twilight spread over the living room window, and she heard Rin sprint by another time, as she rather breathlessly waited to hear what he had to tell her. It occurred to her that this apology was taking an awfully long time, and eventually she started to sweat.

Maybe he was waiting to hear her apologize first? Sesshoumaru merely looked pensive, or perhaps frozen in place. Abstractly terrified to the point of mental blankness might have also been a good description. She had often felt such a vacuum open up in her mind when she had something to impart to other people; for instance, public-speeches always did that to her.

"I don't really hate you," she blurted out, "I was just angry. Very angry. But I shouldn't have said that."

However, this simply confused him even more than before, and it clearly drove the carefully collected words right out of his head. Mouth open with surprise, he blinked at her and suddenly reached into his jacket, brusquely withdrawing a sheet of paper and thrusting it toward her. Kagome grasped the folded pages in front of her, but searched his gaze rather than open the letter.

"It's a written apology."

Tucking the pages into her pocket, unread, she smiled. Technically, if he had written it down, then he had already apologized long before she arrived at his house. He had simply failed to let her know about this vital piece of information. Typical male Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru-type behavior. One day, the half-brothers might actually realize how alike they actually were.

"Ah! It's okay, I forgive you," she informed the increasingly astounded man. "I wanted to tell you that … um… I understand."

Growing more timid by the second, she uncrossed her legs and dropped her hands to rest uselessly on top of them. "Yes, I understand. That is, I know what it is like to have unrequited feelings for someone else. To love someone who doesn't love you back."

"What are you talking about?"

"Because…" she stammered onward, certain that the blush on her cheeks must glow in the darkness, "You're in love with Kikyou."

"No," growled Sesshoumaru irritably. "Not her. You."

And just like that, she realized what he had ineptly tried to tell her once before, when she was leaving this very room with Kikyou. The frantic pace of her heart increased, even as it felt like all the little pieces of it had fallen back into place. Kagome stared at him unabashedly, never quite having expected such a result.

The silence instantly made him uncomfortable though and Sesshoumaru started to rise from his seat. "I'm sorry," he said without giving her a chance to reply, "That was inappropriate. It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable. Please…"

Meanwhile, the gears in Kagome's mind had been spinning very fast. When he apologized, yet again, for the wrong thing, she decided to take a leaf from Rin's book of maniacal, underhanded, child-like tactics. Grabbing his arm, she tugged it toward her and gave him an impromptu hug as he stumbled, causing them both to land in a heap on the center of the couch. Rin was still the master of flying hugs, but Kagome was bigger and she decided this counted for something too.

"I missed you too," she grinned into his hair. "At the risk of sounding repetitive, perhaps we could make a fresh start, and get to know one another for real this time."

And slowly, ever so slowly, she felt his form relax, breathing out into her embrace. In the portal to the living room, Rin skittered to a halt, holding a third pass of toys destined for the car, but unable to move for fear the vision before her eyes would disappear.

Sesshoumaru pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I…" he promised reverently, "I'd like that very much."

Without a doubt, Kagome felt that beginnings were much better than endings.

Before, her opinion of Sesshoumaru had been skewed by Inuyasha and his biases. Then, her own memory had prevented her from forming a clearer picture of him. Yet even viewing him through a distorted lens, she had formed an attachment to this caring father and private, hard-working husband. But this time, she vowed there would be no such impediments within their relationship.

Closing her eyes, she leaned forward to press a feather light kiss on his lips, which he returned for a moment before a girlish giggle disrupted their concentration. Rin stood watching them from the entrance to the room. A frustrated father glared at his daughter firmly, but the four-year old simply ignored his unspoken reprimand and dropped her toys on the carpet so she could clap her hands together with glee.

"Does that mean," Rin asked slyly, "That I can call you Mommy again?"

THE END

A/N: Huge thanks to all my readers for patience. Thanks for reading!

I am considering an epilogue, but rather than drag the story out with matters like 'does Kikyou approve?' or 'does Touga come around?' I thought it might be best to end it here. All that other stuff is important too, but those are all _external _stumbling blocks to a relationship. The most important issue to conclude was all the lying and misinformation between Kagome and Sesshoumaru.

Special thanks, for thoughtful and consistent reviewing, to the following: My sister in law, Ami Mizuno1; DarkAngelRakell; Edahj; kyekye; kyska; llebreknit; Miss Selah; raspberrysorbet; serasvictoria666; serenityrain2233; Sheri-chan; Teslyn; unigu3s0u7.


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